Apple has started assembling the iPhone 13 in Brazil, but the iPhone 13 mini will not have local production.
According to 9to5Mac, a user recently bought an iPhone 13 in Brazil and, to his surprise, the box indicates that the product was "Assembled in Brazil".
The model number, MLPF3BR/A, confirms that the device was indeed assembled in the country, as the units sold in Brazil that are imported from China have the identifier "BZ/A" instead.
However, for some unknown reason, it seems that only the 6.1-inch iPhone 13 is being assembled at Foxconn Brazil, located in Jundiai, Sao Paulo.
MacMagazine has found out that Apple updated the iPhone 13 documentation at ANATEL (the Brazilian telecom regulator) on January 24, 2022 to include Foxconn Brazil as a manufacturing facility for the product.
The documents also confirm that neither the iPhone 13 mini nor the 13 Pro models will be assembled in Brazil.
Brazil imposes high taxes on imported products, which includes almost the entire range of Apple devices, the report said.
For that reason, there are some companies that invest in the local assembly process, as this grants a reduction in taxes to sell those products, it added.
Prices for the iPhone 13 in Brazil start at $1,536, but customers can now find it in retail stores for prices as low as $1,011.
*Edited from an IANS report