The tech giant has recently unveiled its iPhone 14 series lineup consisting of four models, namely, the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus (A new addition to the series), the iPhone 14 Pro, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max, launched on September 7 and was available for the consumers to purchase on September 16 for both US and India. The series has been quite exciting as Apple enumerated so many interesting features. The iPhone 14 Pro and the Pro Max variants jumped significantly compared to its predecessor.
The iPhone 14 Pro series comes with a new Apple A16 Bionic Chipset. The new Satellite Connectivity feature is handy for emergency SOS services (Though the service is unavailable in India), the new 48 MP Pro Camera System, and many more. The iPhone also announced a fantastic feature called ‘Dynamic Island.’ However, the regular iPhone 14 seems no different from its predecessor, iPhone 13.
Apple to manufacture iPhone 14 series in India.
Apple has started its manufacturing process of iPhones since the first generation of the iPhone SE. Currently, the tech giant is manufacturing a slew of shopping mode iPhone models, including the iPhone SE, iPhone 11 series, iPhone 12 series, and iPhone 13 series in India. It is reported that the company is also planning to start manufacturing the upcoming iPhone 14 series in the country.
Apple spokesman said, “We’re excited to manufacture iPhone 14 in India. The new iPhone 14 lineup introduces groundbreaking new technologies and important safety Capabilities.”
Usually, The manufacturing process generally takes around 8-9 months, but after starting the manufacturing in India, Apple will be able to reduce some time. Apple plans to reduce its dependency on China to manufacture iPhones and initiate the process of manufacturing in Foxconn’s iPhone manufacturing unit in the country to produce the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 model simultaneously with China. Apple is working effectively with suppliers to ramp up the manufacturing process in India. The tech giant has made most iPhones in China for over ten years. Analysts estimate Apple will turn India into a global iPhone manufacturing hub by 2025 as it slowly cuts its reliance on China.
India is considered a key growth market for the company and smartphones. The devices will be manufactured for both markets at Foxconn’s facility in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, near Chennai. To those unaware, Foxconn is the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer and an iPhone assembler.
The manufacturing process will start as soon as the China release of the iPhone 14 series happens. We can expect the manufacturing process by the end of November or at the start of December. The manufacturing will occur with all four models: iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Not only the manufacturing of the iPhone 14 series in India but also Apple’s export business to the outer countries.
Why the decision to manufacture the iPhones in India?
This is not the first time we have seen reports regarding local manufacturing of the iPhone 14 series in India. As discussed earlier, Apple has started manufacturing in India since its first generation iPhone SE. Earlier this month, Ming-Chi Kuo stated that the company plans to use Foxconn’s iPhone manufacturing unit in the country to simultaneously produce the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 model in China.
The analyst also stated that the move would reduce the dependency on China to avoid disruptions when there are geo-political problems. Reportedly, the US politician Nancy Patricia Pelosi met with Taiwanese assembler Pegatron and Apple’s chipmaker TSMC. These meetings resulted in China blocking the shipments of these companies. Moreover, India is considered a key growth market for the tech giant and smartphones.
Will the iPhone 14 series have an impact on their prices?
Currently, we are not sure about the prices and whether they are going to differ or not. But if the iPhone 14 series is set to be manufactured in India, it is possible to pay nearly Rs. 20,000 for the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which are expensive.
The starting price of the iPhone 14 pro max in India is $1723, equivalent to 1,40,000 INR. We can expect the variant to cost nearly equal to 1,20,000 INR, considering the export cost reduction and process of manufacturing in the country.
