Representative image showing smartphones
Credit: iStock Images
India has become a key player in the US smartphone market, with its share of imports surging to nearly 36 per cent in the first five months of 2025. It's a significance increase from just 11 per cent last year.
Our country was mentioned as the world's third largest mobile exporter in a study quoted by the Economic Times. Meanwhile, several reports pointed out that one in three US smartphone imports are made from India.
The reason behind this rise for India? It is majorly driven by Apple, which has increasingly shifted its iPhone production to India.
China saw its share drop from 82 per cent to 49 per cent over the same period, making way for India to walk ahead in the product category. Smartphone imports from India jumped over threefold to 21.3 million units, according to data from the US International Trade Commis-sion (USITC).
In May, Apple CEO Tim Cook shared that most iPhones sold in the US during the quarter would have India as their country of origin. Apple now manufactures 20% of its global iPhone production in India.
Despite some political pressure, particularly from former President Donald Trump, Apple’s expansion in India seems poised to continue. Foxconn, Apple’s contract manufacturer, recently announced to invest 1.5 billion rupees in its India unit, the company said in a filing, as the iPhone maker shifts more manufacturing out of tariff-hit China.
In March, Apple ramped up India production, exporting around 600 tons of iPhones worth $2 billion to the US.
Foxconn, a key Apple supplier, is making iPhones at a facility located on a 300-acre plot in the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) near Devanahalli.
Earlier this year, the manufacturer said, "Foxconn’s unit at Devanahalli ITIR is nearly ready for launch, with commercial iPhone shipments expected to begin. This isn’t just a manufacturing milestone — it marks a strategic shift."