According to a recent rumour, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo thinks Apple would launch the basic iPhone 17 in India as the business wouldn’t initially build a new iPhone in China.
The analyst claims that Apple might begin planning and developing how the iPhone 17 will be built in India rather than China, even though the Pro models would probably remain in the Asian nation, because of the lower-difficulty design development, which could reduce design risk.
The NPI is anticipated to begin in the second half of 2024 with a 2025 release, if all goes as planned. With Foxconn’s assistance, Apple also hopes to increase the number of iPhones produced in India. Presently, the nation produces 12–14% of all iPhone shipments worldwide. By 2024, Apple hopes to raise this percentage to 20–25%.
According to Kuo, Foxconn’s production scale in Taiyuan and Zhengzhou, China, is anticipated to drop by 75 85% and 35 45%, respectively, by 2024. The primary causes of the production scale reduction include Luxshare’s rapid increase in iPhone order allocation and advancements in production line automation, in addition to the company’s expansion of production in India.
It’s interesting to note that while display analyst Ross Young predicts the iPhone 17, which is scheduled for release in 2025, would keep the Dynamic Island cutout, this might be the year Apple incorporates Always-On Display and ProMotion into the regular iPhone lineup.
After two years of using the same Dynamic Island cutout that was first introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro, Apple intends to insert the Face ID TrueDepth sensor beneath the panel, which will result in a completely new design for the iPhone 17 Pro.
As Apple attempts to lessen its reliance on China, BGR will continue to report on new iPhone models even if plans are postponed or anything changes throughout the development stage.