iPhone sales in India to reportedly see first-ever annual decline: here’s why
Apple’s latest iPhones launched globally and in India last week to much fanfare. The company also unveiled its first-ever foldable, the iPhone Duo. But beyond the excitement around the new models, it was their pricing that grabbed the most attention. The smartphone industry is already dealing with rising memory costs and price hikes across segments. So, higher prices for Apple’s latest iPhones were expected. What caught people off guard, however, was the stark difference between their prices in India and other markets.
Take the iPhone Duo, for instance. It is priced at Rs 2,99,900 in India, nearly Rs 3 lakh, compared with $1,999 in the US, or roughly Rs 1.9 lakh. Apple also raised the prices of older models. The iPhone 17, which launched at Rs 82,999, now costs Rs 99,900, pushing it close to the Rs 1 lakh mark. While prices have gone up in the US as well, the increase is far steeper in India— 20.5 percent compared with 12.5 percent in the US.
The steep pricing of the latest iPhone models is reportedly worrying retailers in India, with the iPhone 18 Pro series and iPhone Duo expected to drive the country’s first-ever annual decline in iPhone sales, according to an Economic Times report. Research firms IDC and Counterpoint are forecasting a low-single-digit decline.
Retailers also fear ‘affluent Indians’ may choose to buy iPhones abroad. The UAE, for instance, offers the iPhone Duo at around Rs 2.2 lakh, with eligible buyers able to claim a VAT refund when leaving the country, bringing the effective price down further.
Usually, new iPhone launches also push down prices of older models, making festive-season sales an ideal time to upgrade. However, that may not be the case this year, as high prices could weigh on both new and older iPhone models amid an already weakening smartphone market in India. It’s interesting to see how iPhone sales are affected this time, with the ongoing price hike issue already causing a dent in the smartphone market.
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The iPhone 18 Pro series goes on sale in India on September 18th. The iPhone Duo will be available to pre-order on October 16th and go on sale from October 23rd onwards.
