Production of the iPhone 13 has begun in India, the tech giant said on Monday, representing the latest step in its drive to lessen its reliance on its Chinese supply chain.
According to a source cited by Reuters, the bestselling smartphone is being made at the Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn’s plant in the town of Sriperumbudur in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state.
The beginning of iPhone 13 production in earnest at the site follows a trial run in December 2021. The Indian business magazine Business Today pointed out that Apple started manufacturing iPhones in India with the SE model in 2017, and that the iPhone 11, iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 were now all being produced there.
Apple commented, in a statement seen by the publication: “We are excited to begin making iPhone 13 – with its beautiful design, advanced camera systems for stunning photos and videos, and the incredible performance of the A15 Bionic chip – right here in India for our local customers.”
There has been an increasing tendency in recent years for American brands like Apple to turn to contract manufacturers’ sites in countries such as India, Vietnam and Mexico, as they seek to diversify production away from China.
It has also been reported that Apple plans to have iPads assembled in India, a country that has now built no fewer than four different iPhone models over the years.
