Apple has only recently started manufacturing the iPhone 11 in India. However, a new report now suggests that the company will be manufacturing its 2020 flagship, the iPhone 12 in the country as well. The Business Standard report claims that Apple is investing huge sums in its Bengaluru plant for the process. This goes in line with recent reports that Wistron, one of Apple’s manufacturing partners, is hiring 10,000 new employees for its plant in Karnataka.
Moreover, an ex-minister from Karnataka has also tweeted that Apple will be making the iPhone 12 in a new facility at Narsapura.
All of this spells great news for the country’s Make in India initiative. With Apple manufacturing its flagship iPhone in India, we can also expect the new iPhone to be relatively more affordable than the iPhone 11.
As a quick refresher, the iPhone 11 was cheaper at launch than the iPhone XR in India. However, since Apple will be making the iPhone 12 in India from the get-go, it’s likely that the iPhone 12 will have a considerably lower price than the iPhone 11 since it will avoid import duties.
Obviously, that is something we have yet to see. However, bringing the price of the iPhone down in India will prove beneficial for Apple. The country’s smartphone market may be big (even with slowing growth), but people simply don’t buy iPhones due to the high prices especially when compared to iPhone prices in the US and elsewhere.
This year, Apple is expected to launch four new iPhone models varying in screen sizes from 5.4-inches to 6.7-inches. The company has already confirmed a delay in the iPhone 12 launch, but we are expecting the phones to be unveiled in October.
