'We’re excited': Apple starts making latest iPhone 14 in India

Just days after launching the newest offerings globally, tech giant Apple Inc has started assembling its flagship iPhone 14 in India as the company eyes to move away some of its production from neighbouring China. This is for the first time that Apple is assembling its latest offering in India, the move, many say, is aimed at boosting sales in the thriving smartphone market. The latest iPhone 14 will not only be sold in India but in other global markets as well.

“The new iPhone 14 lineup introduces groundbreaking new technologies and important safety capabilities. We’re excited to be manufacturing iPhone 14 in India,” said Apple in a statement.

Cupertino, California-headquartered Apple is already assembling some of its key offerings in India, including the iPhone SE, iPhone 12, and iPhone 13. Now iPhone 14, too, will be manufactured by its assembler, Taiwan-based Foxconn, at the Sriperumbudur factory near Chennai.

The development is significant as India is emerging as a crucial destination for global manufacturers, which are looking for alternatives to China. The recent months of abrupt lockdowns in China – which has zero Covid policy – exposed loopholes in the supply chain, causing issues for several companies, including Apple.

For Apple, specifically, the bet could pay off as it eyes to boost sales in the country, where it holds a small market share of 3.8% (as of 2021). Research firm Counterpoint Research data shows that China-based smartphone maker Xiaomi, which focuses on low-end smartphones, and South Korean giant Samsung rule the Indian smartphone market. That's why making efforts to boost sales in India makes sense for Apple, say experts.

Analysists add the company is eying 5% of all iPhone 14 production in India by the current calendar year-end. By 2025, Apple aims to manufacture 25% of all iPhones in the country. However, China still remains a major destination for Apple to mass produce its products.

Apple launched its new iPhone 14 lineup, Apple Watch and AirPods at its 'Far out' event on September 7, 2022. The iPhone 14 series remains divided into two sets -- the 'regular' and the advanced. The base variant of the iPhone 14 in India is ₹79,900 for 128GB. The 256GB and 512GB models will be ₹89,900 and ₹1,09,900. The iPhone 14 Plus, which differs from the regular model only in size, will cost ₹89,900 for the base 128GB variant. Other variants are 256GB and 512GB models that will cost ₹99,900 and ₹1,19,900.

‘Made in India’ smartphone shipments grew 16% YoY in Q2 2022 (April-June) to reach over 44 million units, according to the latest report from research firm Counterpoint. This time, companies pushed for higher output to meet the criteria for PLI incentives. OPPO led the ‘Made in India’ smartphone shipments with a 24% share, followed by Samsung. Lava led the ‘Made in India’ feature phone shipments with a 21% share.

In the smartphone segment, in-house manufacturing contributed to almost 66% of the total Made in India shipments in Q2 2022, while the rest of the 34% of shipments came from third-party EMS players.