Foxconn has begun importing iPhone 17 components from China to India for trial manufacturing, marking a major step forward of the system’s anticipated launch in September.
In keeping with customs knowledge reviewed by The Financial Occasions, Foxconn, Apple’s major contract assembler, started receiving shipments of essential elements corresponding to show assemblies, cowl glass, mechanical housings, and built-in rear digital camera modules at its Indian services in June. These elements account for about 10% of Foxconn’s whole imports from China for the month, with the rest allotted to different iPhone fashions, together with the ‌iPhone‌ 14 and iPhone 16.
Business specialists cited by The Financial Occasions interpret the size of the shipments as indicative of early-stage trial manufacturing. Mass manufacturing is outwardly scheduled to start in August, in time for launch in September.
India has already begun to take part in Apple’s New Product Introduction (NPI) course of, which governs the early levels of latest mannequin improvement and beforehand passed off completely in China; it joined the NPI course of for the ‌iPhone 16‌ and ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus in 2024. This allowed manufacturing to start almost concurrently in each international locations, a major shift from the ‌iPhone‌ 14, when manufacturing in India started six weeks after the China ramp-up.
For the ‌iPhone 17‌, Apple is reportedly concentrating on same-day manufacturing begins in each China and India for the primary time. Sources cited by DigiTimes counsel that Apple intends to deepen its manufacturing footprint in India as a part of its plan to diversify its provide chain, with Foxconn taking part in a central position below India’s Manufacturing Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.
Nevertheless, the hassle has encountered challenges. Latest studies have pointed to the latest mass departure of Chinese language engineers from Foxconn’s Indian services. These people have been liable for manufacturing unit design, precision machining, and worker coaching, that are important features through the early phases of ‌iPhone‌ meeting. An government quoted by The Financial Occasions stated:
Chinese language engineers are essential as a result of iPhone 17 manufacturing entails advanced precision machining of many small components, and even a 1mm distinction may cause a product to fail high quality testing. They’re wanted to coach workers on the intricate meeting processes and particular molds for elements.
Regardless of these issues, the Indian authorities apparently stays optimistic. A supply quoted by the Press Belief of India (PTI) stated that the return of Chinese language technical employees to China could have “no affect” on the manufacturing of the ‌iPhone 17‌.
The supply added that Apple continues to scale manufacturing in accordance with plan and famous that import bottlenecks for equipment and gear wanted for large-scale manufacturing have begun to ease. The whole ‌iPhone 17‌ lineup is predicted to launch within the fall.
