Tata to make iPhone 12, iPhone 13 or iPhone 14 in India?

Tata Group is in talks with Taiwanese firm Wistron to open a manufacturing facility in India for making iPhones. Here are all the details.

Tata Group to join hands with Wistron to make iPhones in India. (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

Tata Group to now make iPhones? If the latest report has an ounce of truth, the Tata Group could step into the business of manufacturing smartphones soon. The Tata Group could join hands with the Taiwanese supplier Wistron for manufacturing Apple's iPhone smartphones, thereby opening up a manufacturing firm in the South Asian region. Tata wants to be a manufacturing force in the technology sector and with Wistron's help, it could tap into their expertise in the field.

If this venture goes successful, it could make Tata the first Indian firm to participate in making iPhones. At the moment, Apple gets its iPhones manufactured in India via giants like Wistron and Foxconn. With Tata jumping into the smartphone manufacturing business it could also help Apple increase its reliance on India for making its iPhones, thereby avoiding its reliance on China and avoiding the geopolitical risks.

iPhones to be made by Tata now?

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This discussion is still under progress but if things fall into place, Tata Group could end up buying Wistron's India operations or it could build a new assembly plant. In the past, the Tata Group had purchased the British auto brands Jaguar and Land Rover.

What remains to be seen is whether Tata Group is able to meet the strict quality control requirements that Apple expects from its contract manufacturers. Recent reports of Apple planning to make the iPhone 14 series in India just 2 months after its launch date have floated. It is even said that from 2023, India and China could simultaneously make the new iPhones for the local and global markets. That venture could help Apple increase its yield in the coming times.

At the moment, both Wistron and Tata Group have refused to respond to comments. Wistron began making iPhones in India in 2017 with the first gen iPhone SE. Later, Foxconn joined in to manufacture the newer models such as iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and iPhone 13. The iPhone 14 is now expected to join the queue. Wistron usually took up the iPhone SE models as well as the older iPhone models.

What remains to be seen is whether Apple plans to direct its contract manufacturers to build the Pro models of the iPhone every year. This year, it is said that only the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 will be made in India – no news on the iPhone 14 Plus.