Apple to Assemble iPhone XR, Xs and Xs Max in India, Prices Likely to Reduce

Apple products in India are considered to be premium and yet quite expensive, especially with the iPhones. And, last year, with the launch 10th-anniversary edition of iPhone – the iPhone X, the company had hit an unbelievable Rs 1,00,000 price mark. This pricing was followed by this year successors of the X – the iPhone XS and the XS Max as well.

It is pretty evident that Apple had bumped up the iPhone prices last year not only in India but globally – thanks to the latest processors and the new Face ID biometric systems, which indeed increased production costs of the iPhone X, hence the price hike. However, in India, the new iPhones are way more expensive than the US – thanks to our country’s custom duty charges on imported consumer electronics. This might change soon, and you can get the latest iPhones including – the iPhone XS, Xs Max, and the cheaper iPhone XR at considerably lower prices.

That is because Apple might soon start the production of the latest iPhones in India, South India to be precise. According to Reuters, Apple India will most likely assemble the latest top-tier iPhones in India through the local unit of Foxconn – the Taiwanese manufacturer, who currently assembles iPhones in China and Xiaomi phones in India. The report further states that the production would begin as early as 2019 at Foxconn manufacturing unit in Sriperumbudur, a town in Tamil Nadu.

Furthermore, the report suggests that Foxconn would invest $356 Million to expand the current manufacturing plant that includes investment in iPhone productions as well. And, this investment is expected to generate jobs for at least 25,000 people. This second manufacturing unit outside of China by Apple is also considered as a smart move to help the Cupertino tech giant in a trade war between the US and China, which reduces the impact on Apple, the report suggests.

In India, currently, Apple has partnered with Winston Corp in Bengaluru to manufacture lower-cost iPhones, I.e., the iPhone SE and the iPhone 6s models, which make a decent number of sales in our market, considering the lower pricing. This move by Apple with Foxconn in India is undoubtedly an advantage for iPhone enthusiasts who can no longer burn their pocket to buy a top-end iPhone, as there would no more be custom import duty charges.

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