Foxconn to invest $1 billion in India to ramp up iPhone production

11 July 2020
The expansion to an existing factory in Sriperumbudur will take place over three years, add 6,000 jobs, sources say.

Sort by:

ASUS ROG Phone 3, 11 Jul 2020While there is no clear pricewise advantage for Indian cons... moreNot really. Taxes on smartphones is high, and apparently higher on premium handsets. Manufacturing circumvents this extra duty and taxes.

    ferroequinologist, 11 Jul 2020Doesnt really matter. Components are still going to be impo... moreNot really. Image Sensors are made by Sony and Samsung, SoCs by Snapdragon and Samsung mostly (in Taiwan by TSMC and Korea), good screens by Samsung in Korea etc.
    Many of the cheaper components like lenses are made in China. But these can easily move to Vietnam, Thailand and India, with noticeable improvements in quality. So there is no single reason to have a single unreliable manufacturing hub.

      • V
      • Vikramaditya
      • 0p}
      • 11 Jul 2020

      ferroequinologist, 11 Jul 2020Facts yes. Reality no. If you remember, Foxconn in india wa... moreI didn't say China doesn't have a dominant position in the manfacturing base, but it would be about 50% manufacturing by China, 50% by the rest of the world. About BOE, you are right, the kind of aggression & growth shown by Chinese companies to acquire the market is second to none, but things are changing pretty quickly, specially after the recent special situation. TSMC, which makes majority of Snapdragon & iPhone chips, is in talks with US gov to open plants in America and a lot of companies are shifting to specially Vietnam, & some would go to India too.
      I'd still say if you are buying a smartphone from a non-Chinese company, 40-60% components can be non-Chinese. About the LCD thing, previous top-dogs like Samsung can make a difference, like they are doing with their new OLED plant. Previous Indian governments weren't too interested either, but we can see now, that is changing.

        ferroequinologist, 11 Jul 2020I really dont know why they are not manufacturing Iphone 11... moreI still didnt get my answer though.

          ASUS ROG Phone 3, 11 Jul 2020It is true that initially Apple may have to import parts an... moreI agree completely.

            Vikramaditya, 11 Jul 2020Actually, a lot of components are NOT made in China. The iP... moreFacts yes. Reality no. If you remember, Foxconn in india was badly hit recently by china-india standoff due to import restrictions. It is only a few days back that the issue was resolved. After Taiwan and S.Korea, China is the hub of fab plants. No matter what we say, at the end of the day cost matters, and it is here where china wins all the time. Look at BOE. What it has become in the recent years. Coming close to getting iphone display contracts.

              • T
              • The Yogic
              • YQS
              • 11 Jul 2020

              Going to buy iPhone SE 2 tomorrow. I have previously had the iPhone 5S and iPhone SE. Also this year used an iPad for a few months before selling it off. I must say the current design with the huge notch is not my cup of tea. Hope to see some radical change in design pretty soon.

                ASUS ROG Phone 3, 11 Jul 2020While there is no clear pricewise advantage for Indian cons... moreNope sir. Iphone Xr is the only iphone in india which comes close to us prices in comparison to other iphones. And that is only due to the fact that it is assembled in india. Just to give you a rough idea, for an iphone xr you pay 85rs per dollar, but for other iphones you pay 100rs or more per dollar. And by dollar i mean the price according to US market

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • xDX
                  • 11 Jul 2020

                  Every few months you get an article attributed to "indian sources" claiming this or that type of sub-manufacturing will be moving there. Reads like concentrated indian propaganda efforts then any real material drive.

                    • S
                    • Shemee
                    • 0p}
                    • 11 Jul 2020

                    ASUS ROG Phone 3, 11 Jul 2020While there is no clear pricewise advantage for Indian cons... moreYou are right about other things, But there was a massive price drop once the iPhone SE (2016) and iPhone 6 ( & maybe 6s too) were being manufactured in India. Both lost 30-40% of their introductory price within a year and the SE was going for Rs. 18,000 very early on. You can Google their price history and see for yourself.

                      • .
                      • .alpha
                      • q2$
                      • 11 Jul 2020

                      It is the tech patent and licensing that's valuable, not manufacturing. East Asia produces more patents than anywhere else in the world and regardless where the phones are made money still flows to East Asia. It also hugely cuts down on pollution which is why wealthy countries stopped mass production years ago

                        • V
                        • Vikramaditya
                        • 0p}
                        • 11 Jul 2020

                        ferroequinologist, 11 Jul 2020Doesnt really matter. Components are still going to be impo... moreActually, a lot of components are NOT made in China. The iPhone A series chips are manufactured by TSMC, a lot of it in Taiwan (not China). OLEDs that you mentioned are provided by Samsung, mainly manufactured in South Korea & Vietnam. Soon, they will be manufactured in India too (https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/19/samsung-invests-500m-to-set-up-a-smartphone-display-plant-in-india/). Similarly, there are other batteries made by Samsung SDI, LG chem, Panasonic & RAM, phone storage too is made in South Korea, Thailand by Samsung & SK Hynix. MediaTek, a Taiwanese company, makes a lot of processors in Taiwan.
                        Other display manufacturers are AU optronics, Epistar, both Taiwanese.

                          ferroequinologist, 11 Jul 2020I really dont know why they are not manufacturing Iphone 11... moreWhile there is no clear pricewise advantage for Indian consumers especially when it comes to making iPhones in India since the iPhone prices look same irrespective of whether it is made in India or imported from other places. At the same time it will eventually help Apple to create an evo system and environment where they can sell iPhones at the rate that is closer to the rates available in United States.

                            ferroequinologist, 11 Jul 2020Doesnt really matter. Components are still going to be impo... moreIt is true that initially Apple may have to import parts and components from China. It takes lots of time to set up the ecosystem in a new place eventually will happen & when it happens the dependency on China will slowly reduce. In this such a huge international trade nothing happens overnight either setting up or folding up, it takes years. Remember when big boys start taking steps towards India others will follow suit and eventually the ecosystem will set up very quickly

                              I really dont know why they are not manufacturing Iphone 11 (only) when they are already manufacturing XR. Atleast manufacture all the LCD ones. OLED may be tricky but why LCD iphones are not being manufactured?

                                Vikramaditya, 11 Jul 2020Soon enough we'll be free from Chinese assembled (&... moreDoesnt really matter. Components are still going to be imported from China.

                                  • V
                                  • Vikramaditya
                                  • 0p}
                                  • 11 Jul 2020

                                  Soon enough we'll be free from Chinese assembled (& manufactured? ) phones in India. Samsung, Asus, Nokia, LG, Sony should also establish such plants in India, so we & the whole world can have plenty of good phones.

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • sGx
                                    • 11 Jul 2020

                                    Finally !!!