Chinese-Made Phones Being Abandoned as a New King Suddenly Emerges
The global technology manufacturing landscape is undergoing a massive shift. Global smartphone giants are reportedly starting to move away from China as their primary manufacturing hub.
This exodus is triggered by escalating geopolitical tensions between the United States and China. The high-tariff policy imposed by Washington on imported products from China under the leadership of Xi Jinping is becoming a frightening spectre for global supply chains.
Seeing this gap, India is moving swiftly. The South Asian nation is aggressively attracting global smartphone vendors to relocate their production facilities. This strategy aligns with the ambitious agenda of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is aggressively boosting domestic manufacturing.
New Delhi is seriously targeting the expansion of electronic device manufacturing in the country to reach US$500 billion (approximately Rp 7,900 trillion) by 2030, as quoted from Reuters.
Local government data records that India successfully produced smartphones with a fantastic investment value of nearly US$60 billion in the 2024-2025 fiscal year. This figure skyrocketed by up to 28 times compared to the previous decade.
In fact, India’s smartphone export performance in the same period soared to nearly US$21.7 billion, or a 127-fold increase from its position ten years ago. Thanks to this surge, smartphones are officially crowned as India’s largest export commodity throughout 2025.
Apple and Trump Effect
Apple is one of the most aggressive global technology giants in relocating its iPhone production base from China to India.
A report from Bloomberg confirms that around 55 million iPhone units were assembled in India throughout 2025. This number reflects a massive 53% increase compared to the previous year, which was recorded at ‘only’ 36 million units.
The current iPhone production volume in India now contributes to roughly a quarter (25%) of the total global iPhone supply, which averages around 220 million to 230 million units per year.
Aside from Donald Trump’s high-tariff policy on commodities from China forcing corporations to rethink their strategies, India’s success is also supported by a flood of incentives.
Market leaders such as Apple and Samsung heavily rely on India’s US$21 billion national incentive scheme to challenge the dominance of Chinese factories. This scheme has proven successful in encouraging Apple to produce its highest-tier (flagship) and latest iPhone models in India, shifting from initially only manufacturing cheaper models.