Apple iPhone Models Assembled in India Will Increase Soon But There's A Catch

In 2017, Apple Inc. started having some of its iPhone models assembled in India as part of its efforts to cut reliance on China, analysts say.

Previously, all iPhone models were assembled by the Cupertino company's Chinese suppliers; The biggest of which being Foxconn.

This year, insiders say that even more iPhone models will be crafted or put together in India -- but there's a catch.

The first India-assembled iPhone model was the first-generation Apple iPhone SE, although the Indian facility merely provided support then to the Chinese factories. Also, most of the iPhone SE units assembled in India were merely sold locally.

In 2018, Apple completely transferred the assembly of the aging Apple iPhone 6S to India and it was followed by the Apple iPhone 7 the year after. Eventually, the production was folded as Apple stopped actively selling those models on their website and retail outlets.

You can check if the iPhone unit you have was assembled in India by reading the fine print located at the lower part of your handset's backplate. If it is, you should see "Designed by Apple in California Assembled in India".

In 2019 and 2020, more current Apple iPhone models were commissioned by Apple to be made in India, including the Apple iPhone XR and Apple iPhone 11. Although the Indian facilities again simply provided support to the Chinese ones, this showed that the Cupertino company is gaining more confidence in having their more updated models in the new territory.

Fast forward to 2021, insiders claim Apple will soon start the production of more Apple iPhone 12 units in India to meet the high demand for the flagship smartphone even amidst the ongoing global pandemic.

So what's the catch that mentioned at the beginning of this post?

Well, the companies assembling these iPhone models in India are essentially the same ones that make them in China, which are Foxconn and Winstron. They have headquarters in Taiwan -- and it can be said they merely started operations in India and hired workers based there to make these devices.

In December 2020, two thousand night-shift workers at the Wistron iPhone assembly factory in Narasapura, India mounted a riot that caused $1 Million USD worth of damage. The workers claimed that they were underpaid by the company.