Foxconn has shipped nearly all iPhones made in India to the United States between March and May 2025, according to customs data reviewed by Reuters. This marks a sharp rise from the 50% average in 2024 and highlights Apple’s strategy to avoid high U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made goods.
Between March and May, Foxconn exported $3.2 billion worth of iPhones from India, with 97% destined for the U.S. market. In May alone, shipments reached nearly $1 billion, the second-highest monthly total on record, following a $1.3 billion peak in March. For the first five months of 2025, Foxconn exported $4.4 billion in iPhones to the U.S., surpassing the entire 2024 total of $3.7 billion.
Previously, India-made iPhones were shipped to various countries including the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Britain. The recent shift to almost exclusive U.S. exports reflects Apple’s effort to bypass escalating tariffs imposed on Chinese imports. U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans for a 55% tariff on Chinese goods, pending approval from both countries’ leaders.
Apple has accelerated production in India to reduce costs linked to tariffs. The company chartered planes to ship iPhone models worth about $2 billion directly to the U.S. It also lobbied Indian airport authorities to speed up customs clearance at Chennai airport, a key export hub, reducing wait times from 30 hours to six.
Prachir Singh, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, expects India-made iPhones to represent 25% to 30% of global shipments in 2025, up from 18% in 2024. Tata Electronics, a smaller Indian iPhone supplier, shipped 86% of its production to the U.S. in March and April 2025, compared to 52% in 2024.
India’s government promotes the country as a smartphone manufacturing hub, but high import duties on components keep production costs relatively high. Apple sells over 60 million iPhones annually in the U.S., with about 80% previously made in China.
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