Apple has expanded its iPhone 16 production geography by adding Brazil to its existing assembly sites in China and India. Pre-orders for the new model are already open, and smartphones will go on sale on September 20. For the first time, the Brazilian plant will be involved in the production of the latest iPhone from the very first day of production, reflecting Apple’s strategy to diversify and optimize the supply of new products to the global market.
Image source: Apple
According to the MacMagazine resource, regulatory documents confirm the simultaneous assembly of the iPhone 16 in three countries: China, India and Brazil. In the latter, production was deployed at the Foxconn plant in Jundiai (state of Sao Paulo). Although Apple has used Brazilian facilities before, this will be the first time the latest model will be produced here since the beginning of the product’s life cycle. Apple’s manufacturing strategy calls for only the base version of the iPhone 16 to be assembled in Brazil. More expensive models will continue to be imported from China. This strategy demonstrates the company’s step-by-step approach to expanding production capacity.
In 2023, Apple began simultaneous assembly of iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus in India and China for the first time, marking a significant step in its strategy to reduce dependence on Chinese factories. Localization of production provides Apple with a number of advantages: tax breaks, reduced logistics costs and faster entry of new models into local markets. If previously the launch of a new iPhone in Brazil took place about a month after the global release, now this period has been reduced to a week. In addition to the countries mentioned, Apple has assembly plants in Vietnam that specialize in the production of other company products.