Foxconn starts production of upcoming Apple iPhone 15 in Tamil Nadu ahead of September launch: Report

In a bid to push the volume of new iPhones coming from India, Apple Inc.’s next-generation iPhone 15 is all set to be produced in Tamil Nadu, a report claimed on Wednesday. 

A Foxconn Technology Group plant in Sriperumbudur is preparing to deliver the newest devices only weeks after they start shipping from factories in China, Bloomberg News said. This is being done to narrow the gap between the operations in India and the manufacturing base in China. 

The new iPhone, likely to be announced on September 12, 2023, is slated to be the biggest update to the device in three years.

Also WATCH: RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani's Independence Day celebration with family, Anand Mahindra shares army jawan's video, CP Gurnani on AI, Anupam Mittal shares Shaadi.com's campaign: India Inc on X (Twitter)

The scale of production of iPhones in India will largely depend on the ready availability of the components that are largely imported. The production lines have been ramped up at the facility in Chennai.

Before the iPhone 14, Apple had only a sliver of its iPhone assembly in India, which lagged China output by six to nine months. That delay was minimised last year, and Apple produced 7 per cent of its iPhones in India at the end of March.

The company's goal at present is to move closer to parity on shipment timing from India and China, though suppliers are not yet certain they will achieve it, sources quoted by Bloomberg News said.

Other Apple suppliers in India — Pegatron Corp. and a Wistron Corp. factory that is being acquired by the Tata Group — will also soon assemble the iPhone 15, the report said.

On Tuesday it was reported that Apple will commence the production of its AirPods wireless earbuds at Foxconn's facility in Hyderabad. The Hyderabad plant, with an approved investment of $400 million by Foxconn, is projected to initiate large-scale manufacturing by December 2024, PTI reported. 

Foxconn Hyderabad factory will make AirPods and the factory is expected to begin mass production by December.

The company already assembles non-Pro iPhones in India with partners, including Foxconn, Wistron in Bengaluru, and Pegatron in Tamil Nadu. AirPods will be the second product category after iPhone that will be made in India. Apple's AirPods leads TWS (true wireless stereo) market globally.

Also WATCH: Himachal rains: Shimla faces monsoon fury, Viral videos show houses, Shiv temple collapse due to landslides, floods; netizens slam ‘development’

The company may expand AirPods production to other factories later, as was the case with iPhones in India.

iPhone 15: Features, cost and release date

Apple is planning to introduce exciting new features, which were revealed in a video leaked ahead of the official launch. One prominent addition is the Dynamic Island feature, which promises to bring a punch-hole display to all variants of the iPhone 15. This means users can expect a sleeker design with thinner bezels and a larger display.

The iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to be equipped with Apple's next-generation A17 Bionic chip, manufactured based on TSMC's 3nm process for continued performance and efficiency improvements, as per reports. The standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are expected to have an A16 Bionic chip.

The iPhone 15 Pro variants are expected to kick off with a baseline storage of 256GB, a significant jump from the iPhone 14 Pro's starting point of 128GB.

The new iPhone 15 Pro models might be pricier, as per reports. The regular iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus could be available at the same prices. This is based on talks with Asian supply chain companies.

As per reports, iPhone 15 might be available for $799 in the US and Rs 79,900 in India. 

This would be the second time Apple would sell the regular model for the same price as the iPhone 13. The iPhone 15 Plus might be priced at $899 or Rs 89,900.

In contrast, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models could experience significant price increases. The iPhone 15 Pro's price might rise to $1,099 from last year's $999. In India, the iPhone 14 Pro was introduced with a $300 increase over the US market price. An analyst suggested the iPhone 15 Pro's price might go up by $99, potentially raising India's price by Rs 10,000 this time.

The iPhone 15 series is tipped to launch on September 13, but another report from Bloomberg claimed that the date could either be September 13 or September 12. 

Also read: Apple may re-release iPhone 14 models with USB-C, see details

Also read: Apple iPhone 15 Pro models to offer 256GB base storage and USB-C: Reports

Watch: As Chandrayaan-3 gets closer to moon landing, know why India's space tech ecosystem requires more govt intervention to conquer new frontiers