After having started production of iPhone 15 in India, Apple will produce a higher model of the series, iPhone 15 Plus, in the country in the next quarter. The mobile phones will be made at Foxconn’s manufacturing plant near Chennai, according to an Economic Times report.
The Foxconn plant has also started preparations to produce iPhone 15 Plus, according to the ET report quoting two industry executives aware of the plans. It said the company will import the iPhone Plus model until its production starts.
Apple is not looking to produce the iPhone Pro series in India, the report said.
Apple has already started producing the iPhone 15 at the Foxconn plant. This will allow the tech giant to sell a made-in-India iPhone right from the launch stage.
Till now, iPhones in India used to be imported for the first few months of launch before local production started in the country. This year, the company has started producing iPhone 15 from Day 1.
Apple on Tuesday, September 12, launched the iPhone 15 series with slightly improved camera resolutions, a faster chip, and higher peak brightness, among other updates. Pro models will have a lighter titanium body.
Apple started assembling iPhones in India in 2017 with its budget iPhone SE through Wistron’s facility in Karnataka. Currently, there are three contract manufacturers of iPhones in India — Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron. They manufacture iPhone 13, 14 and 14 Plus models in the country.
Will Local Manufacturing Bring Down iPhone 15 Prices?
Though iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be assembled in India, industry executives say the prices may not be affected significantly. Assembling iPhone 15 in India may not bring down its prices majorly as the company’s manufacturers (Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron) pay high import duties to bring in components.
The basic customs duty is 20 per cent and then there is a surcharge of 2.5 per cent. Over and above that, an iPhone attracts 18 per cent GST. The final price also includes distribution costs and retailers’ margins.
iPhone 15 has been launched in India at Rs 79,900, iPhone 15 Plus at Rs 89,900, and iPhone 15 Pro at Rs 1,34,900 for 128 GB base variants. iPhone 15 Pro Max 256 GB has been launched at Rs 1,59,900.
Comments
0 comment