Made in India iPhones Spark Electronics Exporting Boom

Updated on Oct - 28 - 2025, 04:24 PM

India’s electronics industry is quietly having a moment. Once ranked seventh in export categories in 2022, it has jumped to third place by 2025, according to recent figures. What’s behind this leap? A big driver has been the surge in “made in India” versions of the iPhone global manufacturing shifts and local incentives have combined to fast-track this growth.

Here’s how the story goes: the government’s Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme has targeted smartphones and electronics, making India a much more attractive base for manufacturing. Meanwhile, Apple and several major suppliers ramped up output. As a result, electronics exports soared reaching about US 22.2 billion dollars in the first half of FY26, up from around US15.6 billion dollars a year earlier. Almost half of that, sources say, is because of iPhones assembled and shipped from India.

On the flip side, traditional export champs like petroleum products are losing ground. Petroleum exports reportedly fell by over 16% in the same period, and the gap between electronics and oil exports is narrowing fast. Analysts believe that if trends continue, electronics could soon become India’s second largest export category, possibly overtaking oil.

What this all means: India is not just exporting more gadgets, but is reshaping its role in global supply chains. The shift has implications for jobs, investment, and how India positions itself in manufacturing. Suppliers, component makers, logistics firms many are picking up momentum. The “iPhone effect” is real and visible.

For everyday people, the takeaway is simple: the tech you carry might soon say “Made in India,” and the ripple effects are wider than just one phone. It signals India’s ambitions to move up the value chain, gain export clout, and diversify its economy.