The Wall Street Journal says Apple has confirmed that its manufacturing partners in India have started domestic production of the iPhone SE. Previously, Apple produced most of its smartphones iPhones in China with a few older models assembled in Brazil.
The Cupertino, California-based company has tapped Taiwan’s Wistron Corp. to put together the smartphones in the tech capital of Bangalore in Karnataka, said Priyank Kharge, the state’s IT minister.
“Apple’s iPhones will be made in Bangalore and all devices will be targeted at the domestic market,” said Kharge, IT minister for Karnataka, of which Bangalore is the capital. Kharge said the state will help Apple if it decides to turn to other contract manufacturers in the region. “We did not discuss any other incentives,” he said.
Getting a foothold in India has been a challenge for Apple. The company has opened its retail stores in a number of countries around the world, but not in India. The country has restrictive real estate investment laws for foreign companies.
In the U.S., Apple offers the iPhone SE with 32GB of storage for $399 and 128GB for $499. It packs an A9 processor, rear facing 12-megapixel camera and comes in color options of silver, gold, space gray, and rose gold. However, it doesn’t have a 3D touch display.
