Apple may start iPhone 6S Plus production at a new factory in southern India to lower the model's price, local media outlet The Economic Times reported today.

After the iPhone SE, it looks like the iPhone 6S Plus will be the next iPhone to be made in India. The Economic Times claims that it's set up a new assembly line which will be up and ready within the next couple of weeks.

The one-third of total sales of iPhones in India in 2017 was contributed by the iPhone 6 series, whereas less than 15 percent was generated from the iPhone SE, which is the only iPhone model assembling locally in the Wistron plan till now. The manufacturing of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6s would begin in a month or two in the plant, according to IBTimes' sources. It might soon be time for the iPhone 6S Plus to be similarly shielded from import tax fluctuations.

This will make iPhone 6s Plus more competitive alongside devices from the likes of Samsung and OnePlus, which are popular in India as a result of their more affordable price tag. "Eventually, as the local capacity gains scale the prices will get corrected".

During the declaration of the Union Budget for the year, the government imposed a ten percent customs duty hike on components like printed circuit boards populated with memory and chips, camera modules and connectors. However, in the refurbished smartphone market, Apple is now the king, and India is one of those regions where such category of mobile phones are sold in massive volumes. According to industry executives, Apple is in talks with manufacturers like Flex, Foxconn and Wistron to expand local sourcing, including components. If Apple wants to cut down on additional cost, it will want to make parts and packaging within India as well.

Apple has also added Finland-based Salcomp's facility in Tamil Nadu and China-based Shenzhen YUTO Packaging Technology plant in Bengaluru for global sourcing. The iPhone 6S, on-the-other-hand, accounts for nearly one-third of total sales of iPhones in India previous year.