With a month to go before the iPhone 16 launch, Apple is likely busy preparing. According to a new leak, the company has reportedly started printing box labels for its upcoming phones.
The informant OvO posted an image on the Chinese social networking site Weibo that looks like the label from the retail box of the iPhone 16 Pro. The label seems to confirm that the Pro models will be manufactured in India for the first time for Apple.
OvO has a limited track record, so approach this leak with some skepticism.
To reduce its dependence on China, Apple is continuously shifting its production to India, even though the majority of iPhones are still assembled in China.
Previously, only the standard models were produced in India. Apple publicly demonstrated its confidence in India's ability to manufacture new models last year by selling standard variants of the iPhone 15 made in India for the first time on launch day.
Apple will begin producing the Pro models in India this year, with the help of partners Foxconn, Pegatron India and the Tata Group. The Indian-made iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, however, will reportedly not be available at launch and are not expected to hit shelves until a few weeks after the global launch, which is expected to be sometime in September.
Apple is trying to reduce its dependence on the country, and the financial incentives from the Indian government are certainly helping. In the fiscal year ending March 2024, 14 percent of iPhones were manufactured in India.
Since the demand for the Pro models in India is low due to their high prices, the majority of iPhone 16 Pro and the Pro Max variants assembled in the country are exported to the US, the Middle East and Europe.