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Patna: Apple has increased the prices of its existing iPhone models in India by up to Rs 65,000, effective immediately after its September 9 launch event. The price hikes affect the iPhone 16, iPhone 17e, iPhone 17, and iPhone Air, marking a departure from Apple’s traditional practice of reducing older model prices when new devices are introduced.
The company unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, at its ‘Surprise and Shine’ event held at Apple Park in California.
New iPhone 18 Pricing
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at Rs 1,64,900 for the 256GB model, a 22 percent increase from the iPhone 17 Pro’s launch price of Rs 1,34,900. The iPhone 18 Pro Max begins at Rs 1,79,900, up 20 percent from its predecessor’s Rs 1,49,900.
The iPhone Duo, Apple’s first foldable device, is priced at Rs 2,99,900 for the 256GB variant. The 512GB model costs Rs 3,24,900, while the 1TB and 2TB versions are priced at Rs 3,74,900 and Rs 4,49,900 respectively. The device features a 7.6-inch inner display and a 5.4-inch outer display, powered by the A20 Pro chip.
Revised Prices for Older Models
The iPhone 17 now starts at Rs 99,900 for the 256GB variant, up from its launch price of Rs 82,900. The 512GB model is priced at Rs 1,24,900, an increase of Rs 22,000 from its original Rs 1,02,900.
The iPhone Air has seen the steepest increase. Its 256GB variant now costs Rs 1,49,900, up Rs 30,000 from Rs 1,19,900. The 512GB model is priced at Rs 1,74,900, while the 1TB variant has jumped from Rs 1,59,900 to Rs 2,24,900, a 40.6 percent increase.
The iPhone 17e is now priced at Rs 79,900 for the 256GB model, up Rs 15,000 from its previous Rs 64,900. The 512GB variant costs Rs 1,04,900, an increase from Rs 84,900.
The iPhone 16 128GB model now costs Rs 89,900, up Rs 20,000 from Rs 69,900.
Reasons Behind the Price Hike
The price increases are attributed to rising memory and storage chip costs driven by demand from AI data centers. TrendForce estimated in August that the bill of materials for a 256GB iPhone 18 Pro could rise by around 38 percent year-on-year, with memory accounting for approximately 34 percent of the phone’s total component costs in the third quarter of 2026, compared with about 10 percent a year earlier.
In June, then-CEO Tim Cook told The Wall Street Journal that price increases had become unavoidable due to soaring memory and storage costs. Apple subsequently raised prices for several Mac and iPad models in India that month, while leaving iPhone prices unchanged at the time.
Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research, said India’s increases are steeper than the roughly 8-10 percent global trend. He attributed the higher prices to memory costs, a weaker rupee, and increased domestic production costs. Pathak also noted that the iPhone Duo could face a 20 percent import duty as Apple does not assemble the device locally.
Market Impact
Prabhu Ram, Head of the Industry Intelligence Group at CyberMedia Research, said the Rs 2,99,900 iPhone Duo establishes an ultra-premium tier above the Pro series and is likely to serve primarily as a halo product rather than a near-term volume driver. He added that foldables currently account for less than 1 percent of smartphone shipments, but Apple’s entry could accelerate growth in the category.
Apple has discontinued the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max from its active lineup. The iPhone 18 Pro series will be available for pre-order starting September 12, with general sales beginning September 18. The iPhone Duo will open for pre-orders on October 16 and go on sale October 23.
The standard iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e are not expected to launch until spring 2027, according to industry reports, leaving the current iPhone 17, 17e, and iPhone Air as the primary non-Pro options for the remainder of 2026.
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