Vivo, Realme, Samsung and more brands silently hike prices of mid-range phones in India

Smartphone buyers looking forward to some attractive year-end deals are in for some not-so-good news. Prices of recently launched phones from all brands in the last six months or so, have silently gone up, signalling a disappointing trend for buyers.

Vivo is one of the prominent brands raising prices of mod-rangers post their launch. Phones such as Vivo T4 Lite, T4x, T4, and T4R were launched with very aggressive pricing in order to tap into the market in the sub-Rs 20,000 and sub-Rs 25,000 segments. While T4 Lite launched at a starting price of Rs 9,999 for the base model, it is now being offered at Rs 11,999. The Vivo T4x and T4 series have all increased by Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 depending on the model. Even Vivo Y400, a mid-ranger with a focus on budget, is being offered at a higher price than when it first launched.

iQOO’s Z-series is not very different either. Phones such as iQOO Z10x, Z10 Lite, Z10, and Z10R were launched with aggressive pricing, which targeted gamers and performance-hungry consumers in particular. All these phones are now available in the market with a price hike of Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 from their original launch prices. The pricing of iQOO Neo 10, which belongs to the upper mid-range segment, too has gone up north by Rs 3,000.

Realme’s mid-range offerings have not remained unaffected either. Realme 15x and 15T, the watered-down versions of Realme’s famed number series, were launched with competitive launch prices but are now available in increased effective prices. However, Realme’s P4 series, comprising the P4 and P4 Pro which launched in August, have remained unaffected by the hikes.

OPPO devices such as the Reno 14 series, F31 Pro, F31, K13x, and K13 Turbo have all witnessed a hike in their prices after their launch. The OPPO F31 Pro+, launched alongside the F31 and F31 Pro, has not seen a price bump. In the case of the Reno 14, OPPO has discontinued the 8GB + 128GB model which started at Rs 37,999 and is now directly offering the 8GB + 256GB at Rs 39,999, which was actually the price of the 12GB + 256GB variant. The OPPO K13 Turbo and K13 Turbo Pro are not affected by the price hike.

Redmi’s budget offerings have not remained unaffected either. Redmi Pad 2 and Redmi 15 are now available at increased prices compared to their launch prices. We expect the upcoming Redmi Note 15 108 MasterPixel Edition to get a price bump compared to the Redmi Note 14, which started at Rs 17,999. Even the budget Redmi 15C, which launched a few days ago starting at Rs 12,499 got a price bump from its predecessor, the Redmi 14C which was priced at Rs 10,999 for the 4GB + 128GB model.

Samsung has also silently increased prices of a few models in the mid-range segment, while reports say it’s contemplating increased prices of others. The Galaxy A17, launched at Rs 18,999, is now hovering close to the Rs 20,000 mark. The Galaxy A36 and A56, which were launched this year, are expected to get hikes of Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000. Even the budget Galaxy M17 5G has increased in terms of price despite being launched with far more aggressive pricing.

Even Motorola’s g67 Power, launched in November at Rs 15,999 for 8GB + 128GB is now available for Rs 16,999 on Flipkart.

The reason behind these hikes is common across brands. With increased prices of essential components such as memory chips, display technology, and advanced processors, brands have cut into margins, especially in the mid segment where competition is fierce in terms of pricing. Rather than taking this burden entirely, brands have decided to readjust prices once they have passed the launch phase.

This increased pricing trend is not confined to mid-range phones. Even when flagship phones were launched this year, the pricing was based on a higher cost model compared to their previous versions, as revealed by executives of Realme and iQOO. The OnePlus 15 launched at Rs 72,999 with a higher price tag than its predecessor, the OnePlus 13 (Rs 69,999), followed by a higher price tag of iQOO 15 (Rs 72,999) in comparison to iQOO 13 (Rs 59,999).  OPPO increased the prices of the Find X9 series over the Find X8 models, and Realme launched Realme GT 8 Pro at Rs 72,999, a significantly higher price tag of around Rs 15,000 than the Realme GT 7 Pro (Rs 59,999).

Brands appear to be focusing on protecting margins while offering stronger hardware, bigger batteries, faster charging and longer software support. For buyers, this means timing matters more than ever. Early launch deals, bank offers and festive sales can make a difference, while waiting too long may result in paying more for the same device.