Test iPhone 17 models are reportedly already being developed in India

Apple's devices are famously designed in California, but before they go on sale, they have to be manufactured and the company has specific steps it goes through. The New Product Introduction (NPI) process involves manufacturing testing, and for the first time a portion of that has been moved to India.

According to The Information, Apple is using an Indian factory to develop converting the iPhone 17 prototype design into a device that can be mass produced. It is specifically the early manufacturing tests for the base iPhone 17, while the NPI for the iPhone 17 Pro models is still taking place in China.

The base model, code-named V57, is less complex than the Pro versions. Nonetheless, it represents the first time ever that an iPhone manufacturing design has been partly developed outside of China.

Reportedly, the work is being done primarily at a Foxconn facility in Bangalore. Apple's expansion in India in 2024 has included opening new offices in the city.

The iPhone 17 manufacturing tests include experimenting with both materials and production processes. This work typically takes place between October of one year and May of the next, but this time it may have been started early.

That's because reportedly the iPhone 17 design has already passed a stage called proto-1 where thousands of devices are made. They're made in order to test the build quality.

Engineers from Apple and Foxconn, including Indian ones, are said to be working on the tests. It's intended that if successful, the finalized iPhone 17 manufacturing process will then be replicated at other factories, including ones in China.

The move of iPhone 17 testing to India follows a separate report from December 2023 where iPad development has moved to Vietnam. It's part of Apple's years-long efforts to reduce its over-reliance on China as a single source for its manufacturing.