Apple to start manufacturing iPhone 15 Plus in India from next quarter, report

The word on the street is that Apple will start manufacturing the iPhone 15 Plus locally in India next quarter. This piece of vital information has been reported by the folks at The Economics Times.

Reportedly, sources familiar with the matter have indicated that the Sriperumbudur Foxconn plant has already started prepping for iPhone 15 Plus production in the country. The base iPhone 15 model will be manufactured in the same plant.

This aligns with an earlier report that implied Apple is planning to move iPhone production to India to reduce its reliance on China. Interestingly, the Cupertino-based tech giant is expected to continue importing the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max from China.

Nevertheless, both the iPhone 15 Pro and the higher-end iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature India's GPS alternative called NavIC. So, it is safe to assume that the Pro models could cost almost 50 per cent more in India than in the US. In contrast, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus prices are expected to remain unchanged.

What is Apple's plan for the iPhone 15 Plus?

According to the ET report, Apple is planning to import the iPhone 15 Plus model in India till it starts producing the handset locally. Industry executives close to the plan claim the company is sparing no effort to start local production of the phone at the Foxconn plant near Chennai, India.

Apple reportedly believes the October-December quarter will be a record quarter in the country. This confidence stems from the fact that the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus boast an impressive array of features and specs. For instance, both base models now come with Dynamic Island, which was exclusive to the Pro models last year.

Aside from this, the standard iPhone 15 variants pack a powerful A16 Bionic chipset under the hood. In the photography department, the handsets house an impressive 48MP camera on the back. As if that weren't enough, the devices now come with a more commonly used USB-C port.

Despite getting major upgrades over their predecessors, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus carry the same price tags as the outgoing iPhone 14 and 14 Plus models. Moreover, iPhone sales could soon get a major boost since the festive season is around the corner.

However, this depends on Apple's demand and supply chain. So, Apple is also gearing up to start manufacturing the iPhone 15 Plus model in the country. Apple currently makes the iPhone 15 at the same plant, making it the first made-in-India iPhone to be sold on the launch day.

As per the ET report, the Foxconn facility's production capacity for iPhone 15 is low. As a result, Apple will have to continue importing all iPhones from its main production facility in China till the production line in India increases to match the demand.

To those unaware, Apple has been making iPhones in India since 2017. The country contributes to 7 per cent of the total iPhone production globally, according to a Bloomberg report. The made-in-India pitch is a significant part of Apple's strategy in India.

iPhone 15 Plus price in India

The iPhone 15 Plus has been listed on Apple India's official website carrying Rs 89,900 (about £885), Rs 99,900 (about £984), and Rs 1,19,900 (about £1181) price tags. The handset will go up for pre-order on September 15 and start shipping on September 22. The base iPhone 15 model has a starting price of Rs. 79900 (about £774).

iPhone 15 Plus key specs, features

The iPhone 15 Plus model sports a mammoth 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with Dynamic Island and a peak brightness of 2,000 nits. Under the hood, the phone packs a highly competent A16 Bionic SoC, a 5-core GPU, paired with a 16-core Neural Engine.

In the photography front, the iPhone 15 Plus houses a dual rear camera setup featuring a 48MP camera. Upfront, the phone has a 12MP TrueDepth camera for selfies and video calling. The phone boots iOS17 out of the box and supports features like Contact Posters, NameDrop, StandBy and more.