iPhone 18 Pro is made in India, Apple shipping globally including US on charter planes
Apple is gearing up for the sales of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The company’s facilities in India have reportedly been preparing to ship the latest Pro iPhones before the two phones go on sale globally on September 18, marking the first time that the latest Pro models are being made in the country from day one.
As per a report from Economic Times, Apple has had several chartered flights leave from Chennai with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max devices to have the phones available on store shelves in the US and other regions. More flights are also likely planned.
It is believed that two factories, one each run by Foxconn and Tata Electronics, are making the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Depending on global demand, Apple is likely to expand the number of assembly lines to nearly a dozen, the report said.
According to the report, around 80 to 90 per cent of the total production of the iPhone 18 Pro series will be exported. Pro and Pro Max iPhones are said to account for about 15 per cent of iPhones sold in India.
This is the second time Apple is shipping made-in-India iPhones on day one. The vanilla iPhone 17 was the first iPhone that was made in India and exported globally right from the day sales began last year. On the other hand, the iPhone Duo, Apple’s first foldable phone, is not being made in India.iPhones drive Indian smartphone exports to US
The US has become India’s largest destination for smartphone exports, particularly for the iPhone. Prachir Singh, senior research analyst at Counterpoint Research, says this change largely happened as part of Apple's push to shift manufacturing to India.“India has now overtaken China as the largest source of US smartphone imports. This is being driven almost entirely by Apple's accelerated shift of iPhone assembly to its Foxconn and Tata plants in India, a move designed to insulate its US supply chain from China-specific tariffs,” he told India Today Tech.
Singh added, “We are estimating that 26 per cent of all iPhones shipped in 2026 will be made in India.” That is, roughly 1 in every 4 iPhones will likely be made in India.
Rishi Padhi, principal analyst at research firm Gartner, pointed out that Apple had scaled up operations in India significantly. “India now handles final assembly, testing, enclosures, selected mechanical parts, battery packs, chargers, cables, packaging, tooling, and some subassemblies,” he told India Today Tech. Though many components still relied on exports for manufacturing. “But many of the highest-value or technically difficult components, including displays, camera modules, advanced semiconductors, memory and important electronic subassemblies, are still imported,” Padhi added.- EndsPublished By: Armaan AgarwalPublished On: Sep 17, 2026 12:02 ISTAlso Read | iPhone inflation is real: iPhone 18 Pro series is more expensive, how much is this increase?Also Read | iPhone 18 Pro sale starts in two days, check price and offers hereAlso Read | Apple iPhone Duo first look: Is this the best foldable phone?
