is dismantling ‘made in China’ faster than we expected

One in four iPhones is already assembled in India. Apple has delivered in 2025 exactly what JPMorgan forecast in 2022but it has done so at a speed that has surprised the sector.

Why is it important. This is perhaps the clearest sign to date that China has lost its status as an irreplaceable player in high-end consumer electronics manufacturing. If Apple can make this move, others can too.

In figures:

• 55 million of iPhones made in India in 2025, up from 36 million in 2024 (a 53% increase in a single year).
• 25% of world production, for a total of between 220 and 230 million units.
• 9 billion dollars in iPhone sales in India last year, a record.
• 14 million of units sold in the country, with a growth of 9% year-on-year.

The backdrop. Apple has been around for years trying to reduce its dependence on Chinabut the Chinese supply chain was so efficient and so dense that the movement moved slowly.

Then came Trump’s tariffs, and what was a long-term strategy became an emergency. In May 2025, Trump himself called Tim Cook to ask him to stop expanding production in Indiawhich gives an idea of ​​the scale and speed of the transfer.

Between the lines. Tariffs have been the perfect excuse to do what Apple has wanted to do for a long time. The company has not only transferred volume: it has also transferred its most profitable models.

India now assembles the entire iPhone 17 lineincluding the Pro and Pro Max. That is not outsourcing cheap, it is entrusting India with the jewel in the crown.

Yes, but. Manufacturing in India is still more expensive than in China or Vietnam. The Modi government’s incentives (the export-linked production program) have been the glue of this strategy, and they expire imminently, on March 31.

Apple, like Samsung, is negotiating with the government for a new round of subsidies. If these do not arrive and the incentive agreement expires without anything to relieve it, India’s attractiveness becomes more complicated.

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Featured image | TejjXataka with Mockuuups Studio