Tipster OvO has posted an image of what looks like the iPhone 16 Pro‘s retail box label on the Chinese social networking website Weibo. The label appears to confirm that Pro models will be manufactured in India in a first for Apple.
OvO has a limited track record, so treat this leak with a bit of skepticism.
In a bid to reduce its reliance on China, Apple has steadily been diverting production to India, though the bulk of iPhones are still assembled in China.
Previously, only the standard models were produced in India, with Apple making a public display of confidence in India’s ability to manufacture new models last year by selling India-made standard iPhone 15 variants on launch day for the first time.
Apple will start producing the Pro models in India this year with the help partners Foxconn, Pegatron India, and the Tata Group. The made-in-India iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will reportedly not be available at launch though and aren’t expected to hit the shelves until after a few weeks of the global launch, which should take place sometime in September.
Apple has been trying to reduce its reliance on China and financial incentives offered by the Indian government are certainly helping. In the fiscal year ended March 2024, 14 percent of iPhones were made in India.
Since the demand for the Pro models is modest in India due to their high prices, the majority of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max variants assembled in the country will be exported to the US, the Middle East, and Europe.