China has been primary producer of iPhones since 2007 due to its cheap labor and skillful workers. However, starting with the iPhone SE in 2017, Apple began producing iPhones in India to reduce dependence on China and protect its supply chain from geopolitical tensions. The Indian-made iPhones are mostly for local sale, but a part of the inventory may also be distributed in the Middle East and African markets.
Apple"s expansion to India continued with producing the Pro variants of iPhone 16 in the country. As it turns out, Apple plans to produce next year"s iPhone 17 in India and it has already started laying the groundwork.
As per a report by The Information, citing two people familiar with the matter, one of Apple"s partners in India has started the early production of the iPhone 17, starting with converting the prototype into a device that can be mass-produced. Technically speaking, the process is called New Product Introduction (NPI).
The NPI process for the iPhone 17 is reportedly taking place at the Foxconn factory in Bangalore, where it has spent nearly $700 million on building the facility. Moreover, the process is allegedly at the so-called proto-1 phase, which includes producing thousands of devices to test the build quality. Materials and production processes are also being tested in this stage.
It remains to be seen if the NPI process for the Pro variants of the iPhone 17 will also take place in India. The obtained NPI data for the standard iPhone 17 will also be shared with Apple factories in China for a unified manufacturing process.
Rumors and speculations about the iPhone 17 lineup have taken an uptick in recent weeks. Some sources alleged that the Pro variants might feature 12GB of RAM or a smaller Dynamic Island. However, Apple"s engineering head, John Ternus, has recently aroused everyone"s curiosity by describing the iPhone 17 series as the "most ambitious in the product"s history."