Apple Hikes iPhone Prices in India by Up to 40% Amid Memory Cost Pressures

Apple has raised the prices of its iPhone lineup in India with increases of up to 40 per cent, as the company launched its latest generation of smartphones and entered the foldable segment with the iPhone Duo at a starting price of Rs 2,99,900. The US-headquartered firm has increased iPhone 17 price to Rs 99,900, up from Rs 82,900 earlier for the 256GB variant, a Rs 17,000 or 20.5 per cent increase.

While the 512GB variant is priced at Rs 1,24,900, up Rs 22,000 or 21.4 per cent from Rs 1,02,900. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at Rs 1,64,900, 22 per cent higher than the iPhone 17 Pro, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at Rs 1,79,900, up 20 per cent. In addition, the biggest increase is for the 1TB iPhone Air, whose price has risen 40.6 per cent to Rs 2,24,900 from Rs 1,59,900. The iPhone Air 256GB and 512GB variants have also become 25 per cent more expensive.

Moreover, the iPhone 17e now starts at Rs 79,900, up 23.1 per cent, while the 128GB iPhone 16 has risen 28.6 per cent to Rs 89,900. The price increases for Apple's Pro models are significantly higher in India than in several major markets. In the US, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max prices have risen 9 per cent and 8 per cent, respectively.

The price of iPhones has increased by 20–30 per cent in India, which is much more than the global average of 8–10 per cent, according to Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research. He attributed the increases to memory costs, a weaker rupee and higher domestic production costs, adding that the iPhone Duo could face a 20 per cent import duty because it is not locally assembled.

Prabhu Ram, Head of the Industry Intelligence Group at CyberMedia Research, said the Rs 2,99,900 iPhone Duo establishes an uber-premium tier above the Pro series and is likely to serve primarily as a halo product rather than a near-term volume driver. Ram said financing could help convert Pro Max users, while near-term Duo shipments are likely to remain modest and supply-constrained. Foldables currently account for less than 1 per cent of smartphone shipments, but Apple's entry could accelerate growth in the category, he said.

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