PIcture Credit : apple.com
Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 lineup will carry a 20 to 43 per cent price hike in India compared to its predecessor series, driven primarily by surging global memory component costs and a depreciating rupee, market analysts said.
As reported by PTI, Apple has entered into a new category of foldable smartphones with Duo, which it will sell in India in the price range of around Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh apiece, matching the price of some of the top-selling Maruti Suzuki hatchback car models in the country.
Analysts estimate that iPhone Duo will be able to capture around 24 per cent of market share in the foldable device segment, where it will compete with the Samsung Z Fold 8 series, available in India in the price range of Rs 1.79 lakh to Rs 2.6 lakh (1 TB storage variant) apiece.
Apple plans to start selling the ultra-premium iPhone 18 Pro in the price range of Rs 1,64,900 to Rs 3,14,900 apiece, and iPhone 18 Pro Max in the price range of Rs 1,79,900 to Rs 3,29,900 apiece, according to the company’s website.
The new devices are 20-43 per cent more expensive compared to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
“The iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro series command a distinct premium in India, driven by underlying memory-cost inflation, specifically DRAM and NAND pricing pressures, compounded by local variables such as basic customs duties, tax structures, channel margins, and rupee depreciation,” CyberMedia Research (CMR), vice president-industry research group, Prabhu Ram said.
