Not just iPhone 15, ‘Make in India’ iPhone 15 Plus too goes on sale on Sep 22

NEW DELHI: As Apple lovers in India gear up to own new iPhone 15 series on September 22, they will not only get ‘Make in India’ iPhone 15 but also see a locally-assembled iPhone 15 Plus -- another first by the tech giant to make India a strategic manufacturing hub in the future.

Both the locally-manufactured iPhones will be available in India, at Apple Online and its own-branded retail stores (Apple BKC in Mumbai and Apple Saket in Delhi) on the global sales day on September 22.

According to sources, iPhone maker Foxconn is assembling both iPhone 15 and 15 Plus at its Sriperumbudur plant in Tamil Nadu.

Both the ‘Make in India’ iPhones will also be exported to other countries as well, which is also first for the country.

Driven by the premiumisation of the smartphone market, uptick in first-time users who are shifting from Android to the Apple ecosystem and a young population, India is now among the top five global markets for Apple -- after China, the US, Japan. and the UK.

According to industry experts, the base iPhone 15 models will see a solid uptick in India as "there is a significant upgrade for those shifting from previous iPhone 11, 12 and even 13-gen models".

Driven by domestic manufacturing, Apple iPhones are set to garner 7 per cent market share in the Android-dominated smartphone market in India this year, according to latest data.

Apple iPhone shipments grew 68 per cent (year-on-year) in the first half of this year in the country.

There are estimates that the iPhone 15 shipments in the launch quarter, which heralds the massive festive season in India, will hover around 65 per cent, driven by an increased ‘Make in India’ initiative.

Last year, the tech giant started assembling the iPhone 14 at the Foxconn facility in India in September, a first in years when a new iPhone was assembled within weeks of its global launch in the country.

This time, the buyers can get Rs 6,000 instant savings on iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, Rs 5,000 on iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, Rs 4,000 on iPhone 14 and 14 Plus, Rs 3,000 on iPhone 13 and Rs 2,000 on iPhone SE when they use eligible HDFC Bank cards.

Apple trade-in feature makes it easy to exchange any eligible smartphone for instant credit towards a new iPhone.