iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to debut as part of the alleged iPhone 16 series, an Apple event that could be held in September. A new report suggests that this launch could be notable for India as Apple is expected to start assembling its top-of-the-line smartphones in the country for the first time this year. The Cupertino-based tech giant has reportedly started training employees at its factories. It is speculated that this move will come ahead of the New Product Introduction (NPI) process — a multi-step process where a product moves from an idea to the final production stage.
Apple wants to assemble iPhone 16 Pro models in India
Apple has already begun diversifying its iPhone production process by setting up manufacturing facilities in regions outside of China. The iPhone maker’s focus on production in India began with the first-generation iPhone SE in 2017. Since then, production of subsequent models, such as the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14, have also begun in India.
According to a report According to Bloomberg, Apple’s production of the alleged iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max could mark a major milestone for both the Cupertino company and its Indian manufacturing sector. It could mark the first time that Apple is expanding its production of the Pro iPhone models, which are currently manufactured in China with Taiwanese partners including Foxconn, Pegatron and Wistron.
What’s notable is that while the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are assembled in India, the Pro models are still exclusively available in China.
While Apple previously reported that it would offer these locally assembled iPhone 16 Pro models in stores on the first day of sales, that may not be the case. The report suggests that Foxconn will be the primary assembler of the alleged smartphones, and that its workers have begun receiving training, with the aim of starting assembly at its Sriperumbudur plant in Tamil Nadu “within weeks” of the global launch.
There are speculations that Apple’s other manufacturing partners in India, such as Pegatron and Wistron (owned by Tata), will also begin production of iPhone 16 Pro models later.
