In a reversal of iPhone exporting trend, India appears set to replace China as the country with the largest shipments to the United States while China is losing the trade share by the same measure.
In April 2025, Apple‘s iPhones shipments from India to the US jumped by 76% year on year to an estimated 3 million units.
Data compiled by global technology market analyst firm Canalys, which is now owned by Omdia, indicates that over the same period, iPhone shipments from China plunged 76% to just 900,000 units.
However, China still hosts the largest iPhone sub-assembly production, and it will take more than a year for India to meet the production demand of around 20 million iPhones per quarter.
Apple made a strategic move to shif its production base from China to India, which appears to be working for it, especially since President Donald Trump imposed a high tariff on Chinese exports to the United States.
The new American tariffs do not apply to consumer digital devices but still the U.S.-China trade war has impacted strategic planning of companies.
Canalys’s iPhone export figures mark a landmark in Apple’s quest to expand its production and shield the company from any new trade measures including high tariff.
Apple began to step up its smartphone production in India during the COVID-19 pandemic, a decision which also sought to expand its supply chain for its products.
President Trump recently opposed Apple’s maximizing its production base in India, while acknowledging the company’s plan to make $500 billion new investment in the United States.
The U.S. president told Apple CEO Tim Cook during a recent visit to the Middle East that his administration wanted Apple to maximize its manufacturing in the United States instead of India.
Later, he also said Apple has a choice to increase its production in the United States or face a 25% tariff on its imports into the country.
Trump’s America First policy aims to bring back manufacturing jobs to the United States and get rid of what he calls unfair trade practices that disserve America.
