Smartphones now in top five of India’s exports thanks to iPhone production

Exports of smartphones are one of India’s top five most exported commodities by value, up from the ninth rank last year, thanks to increased iPhone manufacturing in the country, reports Surajeet Das Gupta of Business Standard.

According to the report, in the 2022 fiscal year which ended in March 2023, smartphones were India’s fifth largest export item, with the iPhone accounting for 50% of India’s total smartphone exports in 2022, followed by Samsung’s smartphone products.

Apple has been expanding its manufacturing efforts in India over recent years, with the country assembling low quantities of the iPhone 14, as well as some older iPhone models, including the iPhone 13 and iPhone SE.

Reports have previously suggested that Apple is aiming to produce 25 percent of all iPhones in India by 2025, with trade tensions between the U.S. and China a key driving force behind the move.

Despite the push, earlier this year it was reported that Apple was disappointed with the quality of iPhone production in India, with the Cupertino company hitting several roadblocks in scaling up iPhone production in the country, including quality issues that saw 50 percent of casing rejected for not meeting quality standards.