iPhone SE (2020) is now assembled in India (Image: Apple) Apple’s existing budget iPhone aka iPhone SE (2020) is now being assembled in the country itself at Foxconn’s Chennai Plant. With the make in India initiative, Apple is taking advantage of benefits under the government of India’s production linked incentive (PLI) scheme. Local production of iPhone models saves 22 per cent import duty for Apple. The iPhone SE (2020) isn’t the first iPhone to be assembled within the country. Some media reports also suggest that Apple plans to locally produce the upcoming iPhone 12 by 2021. The tech giant is yet to confirm the same.
The original iPhone SE was the first iPhone from Apple followed by many more models. Just a month ago the government of India announced that iPhone 11 is being manufactured locally in the country. Here are iPhones that are assembled in India and expected to be in the near future.
iPhones assembled in India
The latest addition to the list of iPhones assembled in the country is the recently announced iPhone SE (2020). The model is being assembled in Foxconn’s Chennai’s plant. Interestingly, back in 2017, iPhone SE was the first-ever iPhone to be produced in the country. Unlike the new iPhone SE, the old one was manufactured by Wistrokn in its Bengaluru plant. Similar was the case with the iPhone 6s, which was the second iPhone to be made in India. Apple began manufacturing iPhone 6s locally in India in the year 2018.
Next in the line was iPhone 7. Apple began assembling this iPhone model a year later in 2019, again at Wistron’s Bengaluru plant. Notably, by the time Apple began assembling the iPhone SE, iPhone 6s and the iPhone 7 in the country the models were very old.
After the iPhone 7, Apple started assembling the model that pushed Apple’s India business – the iPhone XR. The cheap iPhone is assembled at Foxconn’s Chennai where the latest iPhone SE (2020) is also being manufactured. Cut to, just a couple of months ago Apple announced producing the iPhone 11 in the country. The iPhone is also being assembled at Foxconn’s Chennai plant.
iPhone 12 expected to be locally manufactured
Apple has delayed the launch of the upcoming iPhone aka iPhone 12 series. Rumours suggest that the launch of the iPhone series could be in the second week of October. According to a report coming from Business Standard Apple is exploring opportunities to begin assembling iPhone 12 by the middle of 2021. The report states that the manufacturing of the iPhone 12 could happen at Wistron’s Bengaluru facility. The report further notes that Wistron is already preparing to manufacture iPhone 12 locally by hiring 1000 workers. The contract manufacturer is also said to have planned an investment of over Rs 2900 crore to push operations. Other reports suggest that after the launch of the iPhone 12 Apple will discontinue the iPhone XR.
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