New Delhi: India’s smartphone exports have crossed Rs 1 lakh crore in value in the first five months of FY26, setting a new record, according to industry estimates. Even amid tariff and trade disputes with the US, India’s smartphone export figure represented a 55 per cent increase — from Rs 64,500 crore during the same period last fiscal (FY25). Tech giant Apple’s contract manufacturers, Tata Electronics and Foxconn, made up nearly 75 per cent of outbound shipments, contributing over Rs 75,000 crore worth of exports, as per industry sources. The production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme incentivised the US tech giant to move its manufacturing capabilities into India. Apple Increases Production In Karnataka Add Zee News as a Preferred Source Apple has increased production in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, leveraging the PLI scheme while remaining insulated from potential tariff escalations. The iPhone maker has also dedicated most of its export capacity in the country to supply the US market so far in 2025. India’s Share Of US Smartphones India’s iPhone shipments to the US have increased significantly, with 78 per cent of domestically assembled iPhones exported there in the first half of 2025 — up from 53 per cent the previous year. India’s share of US smartphone imports increased to 44 per cent this year, while China’s share fell to 25 per cent, down from 61 per cent in mid-2024. The total volume of “Made-in-India” smartphones grew over 240 per cent YoY. Alongside China and Vietnam, India is now a major player in global electronics manufacturing, with companies shifting production to diversify supply chains. Samsung and Motorola Increase US Targeted Supply Samsung and Motorola have also increased their share of US-targeted supply from India, although their shifts are significantly slower and smaller in scale than Apple’s. Motorola, similar to Apple, has its core manufacturing hub in China, whereas Samsung relies mainly on producing its smartphones in Vietnam. India now has 300 mobile manufacturing units, up from two in 2014. In FY14, 26 per cent of mobile phones sold in India were locally made, which has surged to 99.2 per cent being manufactured domestically, according to government data.

iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro And iPhone 17 Pro Max Camera Setup: Camera quality is probably the top feature in any smartphone that drives customers’ buying decisions, along with several others. If you are also someone who prioritizes camera quality in a smartphone, and for that matter of fact, are considering buying the recently launched iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max, this article could be useful. Here, we have explained the iPhone 17 Series’ camera setup in depth.  iPhone 17 Camera Details Dual rear cameras: 48MP Fusion Main and 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide. Add Zee News as a Preferred Source Main camera: 26mm, f/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, 100% Focus Pixels, 2x optical-quality telephoto. Ultra Wide: 13mm, ƒ/2.2 aperture and 120 degree field of view, Hybrid Focus Pixels, 2x optical zoom in/out, 4x optical zoom range. This camera setup also offers digital zoom up to 10x. Front camera: 18MP Center Stage camera, ƒ/1.9 aperture, Autofocus with Focus Pixels, Dual Capture and more.  Video Recording: Up to 4K Dolby Vision video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps; Cinematic mode up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps; Action mode up to 2.8K Dolby Vision at 60 fps and more. It offers improved stabilization and HDR with enhanced low-light and color detail. iPhone 17 Pro And Pro Max Camera Details Triple rear cameras: All 48MP Fusion sensors – Main, Ultra Wide and Telephoto. 48MP Main: 24 mm, ƒ/1.78 aperture, second‑generation sensor‑shift OIS, 100% Focus Pixels, 2x optical-quality telephoto and more. 48MP Ultra Wide: 13 mm, ƒ/2.2 aperture and 120 degree field of view, Hybrid Focus Pixels, super‑high‑resolution photos (48MP). 48MP Telephoto: 100/200mm equivalent (4x/8x optical-quality zoom), f/2.8 aperture, Up to 8x optical-quality zoom; up to 40x digital zoom and 16x optical‑quality zoom range. Video Recording: ProRes RAW, Dolby Vision HDR at 4K120, Log 2, Genlock—professional video features. Front camera: 18MP Center Stage camera, ƒ/1.9 aperture, ultra-stabilized 4K HDR video and enhanced portrait mode.

New Delhi: US tech giant Apple’s iPhone shipments in India are projected to grow by up to 25 per cent to reach a record 14-15 million units in 2025, according to industry estimates. The surge in shipments is driven by heavy discounts on older models and strategic pricing of the newly launched iPhone 17 series. Research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) India expects dispatches to reach 15 million units in 2025, up from 12 million in 2024, while Canalys projects 14.20 million and Counterpoint Research estimates 18-19 per cent growth, targeting 8 per cent market share in the Indian smartphone market. Industry experts noted that India, Apple’s fastest-growing global market, is expected to remain central to its sales trajectory over the next two years, with festive demand playing a key role. Add Zee News as a Preferred Source The newly-launched iPhone 17 is priced at Rs. 82,900 ($940.54), slightly higher than the iPhone 16. The base model offering 128 GB storage has been discontinued, with all new variants now offering 256GB storage at a lower price compared to the previous generation’s Rs. 89,900 ($1,019) for the same capacity. Research firm Canalys forecasted the company’s domestic wholesale revenue to grow to Rs. 1,08,412 crore ($12.30 billion) in 2025 from Rs. 98,717 crore ($11.20 billion) last year, supported by upgrades to Pro models and sales of the new iPhone Air model. The rising attach rates of ecosystem products will also boost revenue growth, the firm said. Analysts noted that the iPhone 16 was India’s highest-selling model in H1 2025, driving 96.50 per cent growth in the premium smartphone segment. With EMI schemes and expanding flagship retail stores in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Pune, Apple is expected to broaden its consumer base and strengthen its ecosystem presence in India. Apple has recently opened two new stores in Bengaluru and Pune as part of its retail expansion in India, anticipating it to be the next key market. In Apple’s largest overseas market, China, sales grew by only 4.4 per cent in the June quarter following two years of declines. India is also becoming central to Apple’s manufacturing plans, with one in every five iPhones now being produced in the country.

By Siddharth Ahuja Humans first pressed pigment into cave walls 65,000 years ago. The same impulse that drove us then drives us today – from a child with crayons, to making sandcastles in the sand, to filmmaking, songwriting, and even grandiose architecture. Every child is a natural filmmaker, directing elaborate stories with action figures. Every child is a composer, humming melodies that have never existed. Every child is an architect, building impossible worlds with blocks. But somewhere between crayon drawings and adulthood, creation becomes *complicated*. Making a film means mastering complex software, understanding technical workflows, and navigating industry gatekeepers. Want to compose music? Study theory, afford equipment, learn intimidating interfaces. A game? Spend years learning programming languages and technical skills. The tools inevitably became the gatekeepers, building a wall of complexity. Add Zee News as a Preferred Source Today, most creativity dies not from lack of vision, but from the complexity of tools. I recently released a project called “Blender MCP” that allows anyone to create 3D scenes using AI. Now someone can type in “make a lush forest with a house”, or “make a dragon game asset” and it will do the job for you. The project blew up, with over 250k+ users in just a matter of months, and skyrocketed to one of the most popular AI projects in the world with 13,000 stars on Github. Seeing the reaction to the project, I had a profound realisation – the distance between imagination and creation is getting smaller by the day, allowing everyone to be a creator. With AI, we’re approaching a fundamental shift in how we think about creation. Instead of asking*”What tool should I learn?” we’ll ask “What do I want to create today?” For example, with Blender MCP, you can sketch a level, describe its mood, and the AI brings your vision to life. Imagine humming a melody and having it arranged into a full symphony. Imagine describing a script for a movie and seeing it iterate in front of your eyes, as you make changes in real time. I’m sure you’ve heard the argument that AI is replacing artists. I believe that the opposite is true, AI is finally letting everyone become an artist. When tools get out of the way, we rediscover the childlike joy of creation; and it belongs to everyone. The barriers to creation are slowly dissolving. Creativity is no longer gatekept by your ability to navigate complex software. A teenager can now compete with major studios. A grandmother can finally write the novel she’s carried for decades. A mechanic can design the video game he’s always imagined. Everyone’s creative voice matters. And for the first time since childhood, the answer to “Who gets to create?” is simply: Everyone. (Siddharth Ahuja is the creator of Blender MCP, an AI tool with over 3 lakh downloads, which helps create and modify 3D scenes through simple text prompts in seconds. The views expressed in the article are those of the author. Zee News does not endorse or confirm them.)

iPhone 17 Series Battery Leaked: Apple is gearing up to launch the iPhone 17 series at its “Awe Dropping” event, scheduled to take place at the company’s Cupertino headquarters. The tech giant is expected to unveil four new models—the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Alongside the iPhones, the Cupertino-based tech giant is also likely to introduce the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and the Apple Watch Series 11. With just a day to go before the big launch, a fresh leak has surfaced online, revealing details about the battery capacities of the upcoming iPhones. iPhone 17 Series India Launch: Battery Capacities (Expected) As per the leaks, the iPhone 17 series is expected to bring notable battery upgrades. The standard iPhone 17 may pack a 3,692mAh battery, while the iPhone 17 Air could offer 3,036mAh in the physical SIM model and a slightly larger 3,149mAh cell in the e-SIM version. The iPhone 17 Pro is tipped to feature 3,988mAh with physical SIM and 4,252mAh with e-SIM. The top-end iPhone 17 Pro Max may house a 4,823mAh battery in the physical SIM model and 5,088mAh in the e-SIM variant. Add Zee News as a Preferred Source iPhone 17 Specifications And Price (Expected) It is expected to come with the ProMotion 120Hz via LTPO OLED, a 6.1–6.3-inch display, an A19 chip, about 8GB RAM, Wi‑Fi 7, and Apple’s C1 5G modem. On the photography front, the premium smartphone may come with dual 48MP rear cameras (Wide + Ultra Wide), with broader Apple Intelligence features in latest iOS update. For selfies and quality videos, there is an upgraded 24MP shooter at the front. On the battery front, the iPhone 17 should benefit from efficiency gains rather than a major capacity bump, with design tweaks aligning it more closely to the Pro look. Notably, the iPhone 17 price could be around $799 in the US and roughly Rs 79,900–Rs 89,900 in India. iPhone 17 Pro Specifications And Price (Expected) The Pro is expected to use Apple’s A19 Pro chip, step up to 12GB RAM, add Wi‑Fi 7, and continue with LTPO 120Hz displays around 6.3 inches. The device may come with a vapor‑chamber cooling for sustained performance and on‑device AI workloads. On the camera front, the upgrades may include a 24MP front camera and a triple 48MP rear array (Wide, Ultra Wide, Telephoto), potentially with mechanical aperture improvements and 5x optical zoom, packaged in a refreshed design with narrower bezels. The iPhone 17 Pro could cost Rs. 1,34,990 in India, AED 5,633 in Dubai, and $1,499 in the US. (Also Read: Apple Event 2025: From AirPods Pro 3 To New Apple Watch, 9 Big Announcements Expected Apart From iPhone 17 Series India Launch; Check Expected Price) iPhone 17 Pro Max Specifications And Price (Expected) The top model likely carries the A19 Pro, 12GB RAM, Wi‑Fi 7, the largest LTPO 120Hz display around 6.9 inches. It may come with the most advanced camera system which include the triple 48MP sensors with Tetraprism telephoto and improved video, alongside the 24MP selfie camera. Some rumors point to larger battery capacity than prior Pro Max and enhanced thermal design, plus material tweaks to the chassis and back for durability and weight balance. Notably, the price is likely to be around $1,249 in the US. In India, it may be between Rs 1,39,900 and Rs 1,64,990. iPhone 17 Air Specifications And Price (Expected) It is positioned as the ultra‑thin model replacing the Plus, the Air is rumored to feature a very slim chassis (as thin as 5.5–6.3mm in parts), a large 6.6–6.7‑inch LTPO OLED display with 120Hz ProMotion. On the optics front, the device comes with a single 48MP rear camera paired with a 24MP shooter at the front. The iPhone 17 Air is likely to run on an A19‑series chip and possibly Apple’s in‑house C1 5G modem. Reports suggest the iPhone 17 series may feature 8GB RAM, 256GB and 512GB storage options, and a smaller 2,800mAh battery. However, actual battery life will depend on LTPO display efficiency and chip performance improvements. Notably, it may cost $899–$949 in the US and about Rs 94,900 to Rs 99,900 in India, depending on the variant of the smartphone. Notably, the price might increase by $50, making it about $1,049 in the US. In India, it could be between Rs 1,21,900 and Rs 1,45,990.