iPhone 14 leak from India reveals model number, as report details local manufacturing program

Apple should announce the iPhone 14 launch event date next week if recent reports are accurate. A recent leak claimed Apple will unveil the iPhone 14 on September 7th, about a week earlier than expected. As a result, iPhone 14 preorders would start on September 9th, with the iPhone 14 release date to follow a week later.

Reports also claim that Apple is getting ready for massive iPhone 14 launch demand. According to one estimate, the company aims to manufacture more iPhone 14 units this year than last year’s iPhone production. And India could play a more prominent role in producing the latest iPhone. But the latest iPhone 14 leak also originates from India, as a model number for the upcoming series leaked from local regulators.

According to MySmartPrice, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has revealed the model number of one iPhone 14 variant. It’s unclear which of the four new iPhone 14 versions has model number A2882. But the base iPhone 14 model seems like the likeliest version.

The model number isn’t a big reveal compared to the plethora of iPhone 14 leaks we saw in the past few months. And it’s a detail most iPhone buyers will never have to worry about.

But the leak dropped at the same time as a report about Apple’s iPhone 14 production goals in India. Apparently, secrecy is a big worry for Apple as it expands iPhone manufacturing in the country.

India and iPhone 14 leaks

Apple has been looking to diversify manufacturing in Asia in response to the pandemic lockdowns that impacted operations. The geopolitical tensions in the region might be another reason to reduce its reliance on China’s manufacturing sites. That’s what some reports said in the past, and the most recent development on the matter comes from Bloomberg.

Apple and Foxconn have been working on an aggressive iPhone 14 manufacturing plan for India. The report notes that the two companies wanted a simultaneous start for India and China iPhone 14 production. But the plan isn’t realistic for this year’s iPhone generation.

The first iPhone 14 units coming out of India will be ready in late October or November. That’s still a significant improvement compared to the typical six to nine months lag for the previous launches.

iPhone 14 leaks might have been a significant challenge in bringing production forward in the region. The report notes that Foxconn can’t necessarily able replicate the stringent security measures it employs in China. Executives looked at cornering off a section of Foxconn’s assembly lines in India and other security features to reduce leaks.

Moreover, Apple has been concerned about Indian customs officials. They typically open up packages to check whether the goods match the import declarations. This could have led to additional iPhone 14 leaks.

India manufacturing issues aside, we’ve had a large number of iPhone 14 leaks already, which revealed nearly everything there is to know about the next-gen iPhones. Also, Apple shouldn’t have any issues shipping hundreds of millions of iPhone 14 units to consumers this year, despite the various challenges that impacted production.

More iPhone coverage: For more iPhone news, visit our iPhone 14 guide.