India’s iPhone exports to US skyrocket as Apple reroutes its supply chain

Shipments of iPhones from India to the United States surged 76% in April compared to the same period last year, according to estimates from market research firm Canalys, now part of Omdia.

The dramatic increase highlights Apple’s accelerated shift toward its “Made in India” strategy, a move analysts say is in response to escalating trade tensions between Washington and Beijing, Caliber.Az reports, citing US media.

Approximately 3 million iPhones were shipped from India to the U.S. in April, dwarfing the 900,000 units sent from China—a 76% drop year-on-year. The data underlines Apple’s aggressive effort to diversify its manufacturing base away from China, which has long served as its primary production hub.

“This latest trade war with China is the type of disturbance that Apple has long been trying to prepare itself for,” said Le Xuan Chiew, research manager at Omdia. He noted that Apple began ramping up its investments in Indian supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic, anticipating geopolitical and economic shocks.

The shift became more pronounced in March, when India for the first time surpassed China in iPhone shipments to the U.S., driven in part by Apple’s stockpiling efforts ahead of newly introduced tariffs. On April 2, President Donald Trump launched the first round of what he called “reciprocal tariffs,” targeting a range of Chinese exports.

Although the Trump administration later exempted iPhones and other consumer electronics from these new tariffs on April 11, the exemption did little to reverse the trend. In early May, Apple CEO Tim Cook reaffirmed the company’s commitment to manufacturing the majority of iPhones for the U.S. market in India.

Under the current tariff regime, iPhones imported from China still face a 30% duty, while imports from India are subject to a standard 10% tariff—making the latter a more cost-effective option.

By Khagan Isayev