Between March and May 2025, 97% of iPhones exported from India by Foxconn were shipped to the US, according to customs data consulted by Reuters. This proportion marks a sharp break with the 2024 average, when only half of Indian iPhone shipments were destined for the US market.

Over the period, Foxconn exported $3.2bn worth of iPhones from India, almost exclusively to the US. In May 2025, these exports reached nearly $1bn, a peak surpassed only in March, with $1.3bn.

These figures illustrate Apple's strategic repositioning in response to rising US tariffs on Chinese products. By redirecting its Indian production to the US, the group is seeking to limit the impact of President Donald Trump's protectionist tariff policies.

For the record, Trump announced on Wednesday that Chinese products would now be subject to tariffs of up to 55% as part of an agreement currently being finalized between Washington and Beijing. Conversely, India remains subject to a base tariff of 10% and is trying to negotiate an exemption from a 26% surcharge announced and then suspended by Trump in April.

India's growing role in Apple's supply chain was strongly criticized by the US president in May. "We don't want you to make phones in India," he reportedly told Tim Cook. "India is doing very well on its own. We want you to make phones here."

Between January and May 2025, Foxconn has already exported $4.4bn worth of iPhones from India to the US, far exceeding the $3.7bn recorded for the whole of 2024.

To avoid the extra costs associated with shipping from China, Apple has increased direct air shipments from India. In March, the group chartered flights to transport iPhone 13, 14, 16, and 16e models to the US, worth a total of around $2bn.

The Apple brand has also put pressure on airport authorities in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, to speed up customs clearance, reducing the time from 30 hours to just six hours, according to previous reports by Reuters.

According to Prachir Singh, an analyst at Counterpoint Research, iPhones manufactured in India are expected to account for 25% to 30% of global iPhone shipments in 2025, up from 18% in 2024.

Tata Electronics, another iPhone supplier for Apple in India, shipped an average of 86% of its production to the US between March and April. In 2024, the first year of its exports, this proportion was 52%.

Although Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made his country an emerging hub for smartphone manufacturing, local production continues to face high costs, particularly due to import duties on components that are higher than those in other countries.

Apple historically sells more than 60 million iPhones a year in the United States, around 80% of which are manufactured in China. This refocus on India could reshuffle the deck, as we have mentioned several times regarding the group's loss of momentum.