Foxconn Sends 97% of India iPhone Exports to U.S. as Apple Navigates Trump’s Tariffs
Foxconn, Apple’s key contract manufacturer, shipped nearly all of the iPhones exported from India to the United States between March and May 2025, according to customs data reviewed by Reuters. The figure reached 97%, significantly higher than the 2024 average of about 50%, highlighting Apple’s strategic effort to bypass steep U.S. tariffs imposed on imports from China.
During this three-month period, Foxconn exported iPhones worth $3.2 billion from India, with shipments to the U.S. totaling nearly $1 billion in May alone—the second-highest monthly export value on record. Overall, Foxconn’s India-to-U.S. iPhone exports totaled $4.4 billion in the first five months of 2025, already surpassing the entire 2024 value of $3.7 billion.
Apple has been accelerating iPhone production in India as a means to reduce the impact of U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made devices, which Trump’s administration set as high as 55% on some Chinese goods. India faces a baseline 10% tariff and has been negotiating to avoid a 26% “reciprocal” tariff that the U.S. temporarily paused earlier this year.
Despite Apple CEO Tim Cook’s push for expanded production in India, former President Donald Trump criticized the move in May, insisting Apple should manufacture more phones in the U.S. rather than abroad.
Efforts to speed exports include Apple chartering cargo flights transporting billions worth of iPhone models directly to the U.S. and lobbying for faster customs clearance at Chennai airport, a critical hub for iPhone exports in southern India.
Analysts expect “Made-in-India” iPhones to represent 25-30% of global shipments in 2025, up from 18% in 2024, signaling a growing shift in Apple’s supply chain strategy.
Another supplier, Tata Electronics, part of India’s Tata Group, also exports mostly to the U.S., sending about 86% of its iPhone shipments from India there during March and April.
Despite government efforts to promote India as a smartphone manufacturing center, higher component import duties keep production costs relatively elevated compared to other countries. Apple continues to rely heavily on Chinese manufacturing, with around 80% of iPhones sold in the U.S. still produced there.
