Like all 16 models: iPhone 16e also "made in India"
Apple will soon be building all five variants of the iPhone 16 on the subcontinent –, including the entry-level model. This has been confirmed by the company.
Apple store in Mumbai: India is a production site and an increasingly important market.
(Image: Apple)
Apple will also build the brand new iPhone 16e on the Indian subcontinent – in addition to the production already underway in China. This was announced by the company in response to an inquiry by the Mumbai-based business newspaper The Economic Times. Accordingly, the 16e sowohl will be produced in India for the domestic market as well as for export. "The entire iPhone 16 lineup, including the iPhone 16e, will be built in India for Indian consumers and for export to select countries," Apple wrote in a response to a query from the newspaper last week.
India builds and buys (more)
The Republic of India is currently being developed by Apple into the second most important production location after the People's Republic of China. To this end, several large factories have been established by manufacturing partners such as Foxconn. Beijing recently tried to make it more difficult for Apple to set up this production by, for example, banning or slowing down the export of machines from customs. In addition, Chinese helpers to set up the factories are no longer allowed to leave the country as easily as before. They are needed because the necessary skills are still lacking locally, but Apple is having them built up.
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In addition to production, India is also set to become an important sales market for Apple. The subcontinent is now home to the most populous country in the world, leaving China behind. The first retail stores and an expansion of the online business are intended to ensure that India's large and growing middle class will buy iPhones, iPads and Macs more frequently. All of this is reminiscent of Apple's China strategy: in the beginning, production was mainly concentrated there, but then the country became the second or third most important sales market behind the USA. However, this market is now weakening (again) –, especially for the iPhone.
iPhone 16e pricing controversial
The iPhone 16e will also be marketed in India immediately. It costs the equivalent of 660 euros there, which is only slightly cheaper than here (699 euros). In the USA, Apple started with a price of 599 US dollars, although excise duties are added here depending on the state. The iPhone 16e is no longer a true "entry-level model" due to this pricing – The previous SE 3 model was once launched at 519 euros.
Apple invests a lot of money in Indian production facilities, which are then operated by manufacturers such as Pegatron, Foxconn, Flex or Tata. The purpose of the exercise is to be less dependent on China as a manufacturing location. Apple has not yet communicated which countries the Indian iPhones will then go to. Those in Europe still appear to come from the People's Republic.
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