Tata Reportedly Completes Wistron India Takeover, Set to Become First Indian iPhone Manufacturer

Tata Group reportedly paid $125 million (roughly Rs. 1,040 crore) to acquire Wistron's iPhone assembly lines in India.

Written by David Delima, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 10 November 2023 13:50 IST

Tata Reportedly Completes Wistron India Takeover, Set to Become First Indian iPhone Manufacturer

Apple's iPhone 15 and other recent models are already manufactured by other suppliers in India

Highlights

Tata Group has reportedly completed its acquisition of Wistron India
The tech conglomerate will now be able to produce iPhone models in India
The Tata Group already produces some components for Apple in Tamil Nadu

The Tata Group has reportedly completed its takeover of Apple supplier Wistron India, bringing the Indian tech conglomerate one step closer to becoming the first Indian firm to assemble Apple's iPhone models in the country. Takeover discussions began a year ago, and Tata already supplies components for the Cupertino company's smartphones in Tamil Nadu. However, the acquisition of Wistron's production lines in India will allow the company to assemble iPhone models like Foxconn and Pegatron, two of Apple's suppliers that assemble the phones in India.

The Economic Times reports that the Tata Group has signed a binding share purchase agreement to acquire 100 percent equity stake in Wistron India. The deal to acquire the Indian unit from Singapore-based SMS Infocomm and Wistron Hong Kong, is worth a total of $750 million (roughly Rs. 6,250 crore), according to the report, and Tata will pay $125 million (roughly Rs. 1,040 crore) to acquire Wistron's assembly lines in India.

While the Tata Group was already producing some components for Apple in India at its plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, the Wistron India acquisition allows it to become a full-fledged iPhone assembler. Apple has other suppliers in India like Foxconn and Pegatron that assemble the iPhone 15, iPhone 14, and other recent models, but Tata will be the first Indian firm to manufacture the handsets in the country.

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Earlier this month, TF Securities International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that Apple would lower its production scale in two regions in China considerably next year. Meanwhile, the percentage of iPhone units made in India that are shipped globally is expected to rise from 14 percent to between 20 to 25 percent by 2024.

Kuo also claims that the development of the iPhone 17 — the successor to the purported iPhone 16 that is likely to launch in 2024 — is set to happen outside China for the first time. Apple will start the new product introduction (NPI) process for the iPhone 17 in India, during the second half of 2024, according to Kuo. Based on its annual release cycle, Apple's iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 series are expected to be released in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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iPhone 15

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Big upgrades over the 14
Excellent ergonomics, build quality
Very good all-round performance
Apple ecosystem benefits

Bad
Relatively slow charging
Expensive
Still a 60Hz display

Read detailed Apple iPhone 15 review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A16 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 6GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

OS iOS 17

Resolution 1179x2556 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

iPhone 14

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Good overall performance
Great camera quality in daylight
iOS ecosystem and ease of use

Bad
Dated design and notch
Very similar to iPhone 13
Relatively slow charging
Expensive

Read detailed Apple iPhone 14 review

Display 6.06-inch

Processor Apple A15 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

OS iOS 16

Resolution 1170x2532 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

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Further reading: Tata Group, Wistron India, Wistron, Apple, iPhone manufacturing, Apple iPhone

David Delima

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As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at DavidD@ndtv.com, on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More