AirPods are made by Apple Inc. and assembled primarily in Vietnam and China, with a growing share of production moving to India as Apple diversifies its supply chain away from dependence on any single country.
AirPods are the world’s best-selling wireless earbuds, introduced by Apple in 2016 and now spanning multiple product lines including AirPods standard, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max, with the AirPods Pro 3 launching in September 2025 alongside the iPhone 17 lineup.
Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL), headquartered in Cupertino, California, designs all AirPods products in-house but does not own or operate its own manufacturing facilities; instead it contracts with assembly partners including Luxshare-ICT and Foxconn to produce finished units to Apple’s exact specifications.
Knowing where AirPods are made matters for buyers concerned about supply chain transparency, tariff exposure, and whether production shifts affect the quality or availability of the product they are buying.
This article covers which companies assemble AirPods, the countries involved, how production has shifted over time, and how AirPods manufacturing compares to Samsung’s Galaxy earbuds.
So let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Where Are AirPods Made?
Apple AirPods are assembled across three primary countries: Vietnam, China, and India. Vietnam is the largest single assembly location for AirPods, handling the third-generation AirPods and the AirPods Pro line through Luxshare-ICT’s Vietnam facility.
China handles assembly of older AirPods generations and remains a significant production location through Foxconn’s operations.
According to AppleInsider’s manufacturing report from April 2026, AirPods are also now assembled at Foxconn’s India facility in Hyderabad, Telangana, with AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3 among the models produced there as of March 2025.
Apple’s own SEC 10-Q filings confirm that a significant majority of its manufacturing is performed by outsourcing partners located primarily in China mainland, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
AirPods fit within this global assembly network, with components sourced from multiple countries before being assembled into finished products at the contracted facilities.
Apple does not manufacture any components or assemble any products at its own facilities for the AirPods line.
All physical production is contracted out, with Apple retaining control over product design, chip development, software, and quality standards rather than manufacturing assets.
Who Assembles AirPods?
The two primary assembly partners for AirPods are Luxshare-ICT and Foxconn. Luxshare-ICT, a Chinese electronics manufacturer with major operations in Vietnam, assembles a substantial share of AirPods Pro and newer standard AirPods models.
Foxconn, the Taiwan-headquartered contract manufacturer best known for assembling iPhones, handles AirPods assembly at facilities in China and at its newer India operations in Hyderabad.
Luxshare-ICT became Apple’s primary AirPods assembly partner after Apple began shifting AirPods Pro production out of China during COVID-19 supply disruptions in the early 2020s. The company has since grown into one of Apple’s most trusted contract manufacturers for audio products, and its Vietnam facilities have received significant investment to expand capacity for AirPods and other Apple accessories.
Foxconn’s India AirPods assembly, launched at its Hyderabad facility in early 2025, represents Apple’s push to have multiple geographic options for producing its most popular accessories.
The move mirrors Apple’s strategy for iPhones, where India production now handles a meaningful share of global iPhone output as a hedge against China-specific trade and supply risks.
Why Is Apple Moving AirPods Production to Vietnam and India?
Apple’s shift of AirPods production toward Vietnam and India is driven by two complementary factors: supply chain diversification and cost management. U.S. tariff policies targeting Chinese-manufactured goods, which escalated significantly in 2025, create direct financial incentives for Apple to assemble products outside China.
AirPods assembled in Vietnam or India face lower import duties when sold in the United States than those assembled in China.
Vietnam offers Apple a well-established electronics manufacturing base, a skilled workforce experienced in precision assembly, and favorable trade relationships with major markets including the United States and European Union.
India offers the added benefit of a massive domestic consumer market and government incentives under its Production Linked Incentive scheme that make establishing production there financially attractive.
China retains a role in AirPods production because its deep electronics supply chain, component manufacturing ecosystem, and assembly infrastructure cannot be replicated quickly or cheaply elsewhere.
Apple is diversifying rather than fully exiting China, and the pace of that shift depends on geopolitical conditions, tariff policy, and how quickly Vietnam and India can scale their production capacity to Apple’s quality standards.
AirPods vs. Samsung Galaxy Buds: Where Are They Each Made?
AirPods and Samsung Galaxy Buds are the two dominant wireless earbud brands globally, and their manufacturing geographies have become increasingly similar as both companies diversify production.
AirPods are assembled primarily in Vietnam and China with growing India output, while Samsung Galaxy Buds are manufactured primarily at Samsung’s facilities in Vietnam, where the company has built its largest global electronics manufacturing hub in the Thai Nguyen province.
The key structural difference is that Samsung owns its own manufacturing facilities and assembles Galaxy Buds in-house, while Apple contracts all assembly to third parties.
This gives Samsung more direct control over production scheduling and quality at the factory level, while Apple maintains tighter control over chip design and software integration regardless of which contract assembler produces the physical unit.
For buyers in the United States, both AirPods and Galaxy Buds are predominantly assembled in Vietnam, meaning the country-of-manufacture story is broadly similar between the two competitors at this point. Neither brand produces wireless earbuds in the United States for commercial sale. For more on Apple product manufacturing, see Where Are Android Phones Made.
Frequently Asked Questions About AirPods
Are AirPods made in China?
Some AirPods are assembled in China by Foxconn, but Vietnam has become the primary assembly location for most current AirPods models. Apple has been actively shifting AirPods production toward Vietnam and India to reduce its dependence on Chinese manufacturing.
Where are AirPods Pro made?
AirPods Pro are assembled primarily in Vietnam by Luxshare-ICT and in India at Foxconn’s Hyderabad facility. The shift toward Vietnam and India for AirPods Pro production began during COVID-19 supply disruptions and has accelerated since 2023 as Apple diversified its supply chain.
Does Apple make AirPods itself?
No. Apple designs AirPods and develops the chips inside them, but all physical assembly is contracted to third-party manufacturers including Luxshare-ICT and Foxconn. Apple does not own any manufacturing facilities for AirPods production.
Are AirPods made in India?
Yes, as of March 2025. Foxconn’s facility in Hyderabad, Telangana, India began assembling AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3. India AirPods assembly is part of Apple’s broader strategy to diversify production away from China and toward countries with favorable trade terms and government manufacturing incentives.
I am Jack Neel, a mechanical engineer, researcher, and writer. I created this website to share my knowledge about different brands and products with you. I research the manufacturers behind the brands and provide you with the information you need to make smart buying decisions.