According to indiantelevision.com, Apple is preparing to expand its India manufacturing beyond iPhones, while Google plans to shift a significant share of its export-focused production from China to India, electronics and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed in response to Moneycontrol queries.
Government-backed expansion drive
The Indian government has approved the Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme with an outlay of Rs 62,500 crore, running from FY27 to FY31. Unlike earlier incentive programs focused primarily on assembly scale-up, this scheme emphasizes domestic value addition β offering incentives ranging from 2.25 per cent to 5 per cent on eligible mobile phone sales and an additional up to 1.5 per cent for sourcing specified components locally.
The policy shift reflects a strategic pivot from making phones in India to making more of each phone domestically. Government data shows domestic value addition in mobile manufacturing reached 23 per cent in FY24, and smartphones became Indiaβs largest individual export product category in FY26.
India has already achieved near self-sufficiency in domestic mobile consumption: 99.2 per cent of mobile phones used in the country are now manufactured locally β a milestone underscoring the foundation for broader electronics manufacturing ambitions.
Appleβs deepening India footprint
Apple began assembling iPhones in India in 2017 and has steadily expanded through partners including Foxconn and Tata Group. According to Counterpoint Research estimates cited by Reuters, India could account for around 26 per cent of global iPhone production in 2026.
The companyβs India operations have evolved beyond final assembly: Apple is now developing local component manufacturing capabilities. A sizeable share of iPhones produced at Foxconnβs Indian facilities is exported β particularly to the US β reinforcing Indiaβs role as an export hub rather than just a domestic assembly destination.
Minister Vaishnaw stated the government is actively working with Apple to broaden its manufacturing footprint in India βbeyond smartphones,β signaling potential diversification into other hardware categories or higher-value subsystems.
Googleβs export-oriented pivot
Google launched Pixel smartphone production in India in 2023 with the Pixel 8 and has since scaled output via partner Dixon Technologies. The company is increasingly using India as a manufacturing base for devices destined for overseas markets.
Reports indicate Google could halt Pixel smartphone, watch, and wireless earbud manufacturing in China starting in 2027, shifting that production to India and Vietnam. Though Google has not publicly confirmed the move, the anticipated transition would further embed India into global technology supply chains.
Vaishnaw emphasized that India is expected to receive a βsignificant portionβ of Googleβs production intended for export β aligning with national goals to transform from an assembly destination into a full-fledged electronics manufacturing and export hub.
Source: indiantelevision.com
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
