Apple, Samsung, OPPO, and Realme halt smartphone production in India due to coronavirus lockdown

With India now under a 21-day lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, mobile phone companies are cancelling their launch plans and suspending production of smartphones until the lockdown period ends. Samsung has reportedly halted manufacturing at its Greater Noida factories, according to a report from the Economic Times. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that iPhone manufacturers Foxconn and Wistron have stopped all production at their Indian plants. Brands like OPPO, Vivo and Realme have also suspended their 'Make in India' facilities till further government notice.

These factories are likely to open only after April 14th, which is when the 21-day lockdown ends. Foxconn and Wistron manufacture older iPhone models in India such as the iPhone XR, allowing these models to sell at affordable prices in the country. The halting of production will likely affect Apple, which captures a very small percentage of the smartphone market in the country. 

OPPO has said in a statement,"Safety of our employees is of utmost priority at OPPO. Keeping the recent outbreak of coronavirus in mind, a host of preventive measures have already been undertaken. Operations in our Greater Noida factory have been suspended as per the directive from the government." 

Previously, Ericsson and Nokia were said to be continuing with the production at their Pune and Chennai factories. However, the former is said to be following the social distancing principal. "Ericsson facility in Pune will be working based on social distancing principle that is 50 percent workforce. The work is based on the exemption granted by the relevant authorities," a company spokesperson confirmed. These companies are likely to suspend production as well following the announcement of a 21-day lockdown in India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.