iPhone 17 Components Arrive At Foxconn Facility In India: Report

Key components for the iPhone 17 have reportedly started arriving at Foxconn’s facility in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, marking a significant step in Apple’s growing reliance on India as a manufacturing and assembly base.

While Apple hasn’t made a formal announcement, Economic Times reports that these shipments are among the earliest signs of the iPhone 17’s production cycle kicking off in the country. The iPhone 17 components were reportedly a small portion of a large shipment containing parts for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 14, which are still being produced due to high demand in the Indian market. These parts are meant for product validation and testing, which typically precede mass manufacturing by a few months.

Mass production for the iPhone 17 models could begin in India in August, with global launch scheduled for September, the report states.

The move aligns with Apple’s steady strategy to diversify its supply chain beyond China. Over the last couple of years, India has seen a quiet but consistent increase in Apple’s manufacturing activity. Foxconn, Wistron (now under Tata), and Pegatron have all been expanding operations, encouraged by the Indian government’s production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes.

Currently, Apple manufactures or assembles several iPhone models in India — including the iPhone 12, 13, 14, and 15. Starting early with the iPhone 17 suggests that India is gradually moving up the chain from final assembly to early-stage production processes, a critical shift if Apple is to reduce its China dependency in real terms.

Foxconn’s Tamil Nadu plant plays a key role in this ecosystem. The facility has already been involved in making the iPhone 15, and it appears to be the hub for early-stage work on the iPhone 17 as well.

Apple typically follows a long product pipeline — involving months of testing, trial assembly, quality checks, and regulatory clearances — before full-scale production begins.

Recently, hundreds of Chinese technology professionals who were facilitating and managing production at Foxconn plants in India returned to China triggering speculation that it may hamper production of the upcoming iPhone 17 series.

However, the Indian government responded that it is monitoring production targets at Foxconn and believes that Apple has alternatives to handle issues related to the return of Chinese professionals and production won't be hit. Apple plans to ramp up iPhone output in India to 60 million units this year from