Technology

India Smartphone Manufacturing Timeline 2014-2026: Apple, Samsung, PLI & Exports

India became a smartphone manufacturing hub through a mix of huge domestic demand, Make in India policy, import-duty incentives, the 2020 PLI scheme, global su…

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MAKE IN INDIA BEGINS

Government Launches Make in India Initiative

The government launched the Make in India initiative, aiming to shift the country from being primarily a consumption market toward becoming a manufacturing base across s…

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DEMAND EXPLODES

India's Smartphone Market Grows Fast

Affordable Android phones, expanding mobile internet and 4G, fast-growing e-commerce and the early spread of digital payments turned India into one of the world's larges…

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IMPORT DUTIES SHIFT ECONOMI…

Phased Manufacturing Programme Pushes Local Assembly

The government's Phased Manufacturing Programme progressively raised import duties on fully-built handsets while keeping duties lower on locally-assembled components, ma…

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APPLE ARRIVES

Apple Begins Assembling iPhones in India

Apple confirmed the first small-batch production of iPhone SE units in Bengaluru through contract manufacturer Wistron - the first assembled-in-India iPhones. India's ea…

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SAMSUNG SCALES UP

Samsung Opens World's Largest Mobile Factory in Noida

Samsung inaugurated its expanded Noida plant, doubling capacity to 120 million units a year after a Rs 4,915 crore investment. Prime Minister Modi and South Korean Presi…

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PLI SCHEME LAUNCHES

Government Unveils Production Linked Incentive Scheme

MeitY launched the PLI scheme for large-scale electronics manufacturing on 1 April 2020, with a Rs 40,995 crore outlay, paying incentives on incremental mobile-phone sal…

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SUPPLIERS EXPAND

Foxconn, Pegatron and Wistron Scale Up India Capacity

Apple's contract manufacturers each expanded or added India assembly lines through this window, building the capacity base that made the sharp 2025 export acceleration p…

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TATA TAKES OVER

Tata Electronics Acquires Wistron and Pegatron's India Plants

Tata Electronics bought Wistron's Narsapura plant in March 2024 for about $125 million, then a controlling 60% stake in Pegatron Technology India in January 2025 - becom…

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EXPORTS ACCELERATE

India-Made iPhone Exports to the US Surge

Reuters reported Foxconn shipped iPhones worth $3.2 billion from India between March and May 2025, with 97% going to the US - up from 50.3% in 2024. Smartphone exports o…

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THE COMPONENT QUESTION

Apple Deepens India Sourcing as the Component Ecosystem Becomes the Next Battle…

Apple's Q2 FY2026 earnings call confirmed the 'vast majority' of US-sold iPhones now carry India as their country of origin. Meanwhile, Tata Electronics and ASML signed…

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