Recently there has been talk of Foxconn expanding its manufacturing and assembly lines in India to continue helping Apple. Now, reports indicate that Foxconn has indeed begun assembling the iPhone 11 in a facility near Chennai, making it the first flagship iPhone being assembled in India.
Earlier in July it was reported that Foxconn had plans to invest $1 billion on iPhone assembly facilities in India – something that now is partly confirmed by sources saying that the company is expanding its production in the country. Foxconn has assembled iPhones in India since 2017, but until recently, only lower segment iPhones have been manufactured in the company's plants located in India.
India is the world's second largest smartphone market, with only China claiming a bigger share. However, thus far Apple has only been able to reach a 1 percent share of the total smartphone market in India – something that the company is keen to change.
India imposes a 20 percent import duty on foreign-made electronics, which Apple is looking to sidestep by selling locally made iPhones.
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KitGuru Says: India has a bigger smartphone market than the US – meaning that many smartphone companies are interested in breaking into the Indian market. Do you think Apple's endeavours in India will be successful?