When Apple raised the prices of several of its devices earlier this year, iPhones were thankfully spared from the hike. However, even then, it seemed unlikely that the prices of Apple’s biggest-selling product would remain untouched forever. The speculation was less about if iPhone prices would go up, and more about when that would happen and just how steep the increase would be. Now, it looks like we may finally be getting an answer. And it’s worse than what was expected, especially for Indians!
After all that speculation, Apple has finally announced the dreaded price hikes, and the damage has reached as far as the iPhone 16 which was released back in 2024. It’s not a minor price bump either, the iPhone 16 is now priced at ₹89,900! Despite being a decent device, the iPhone Air did not get its due attention last year majorly because of its price point to features ratio. In a surprising turn of events though, Apple has decided to revive its popularity by giving it a price upgrade of ₹30,000. Surely, that’ll work!
The hike ranges from ₹15,000 to ₹30,000 in India. To put that into perspective, ₹15,000–₹30,000 is more than enough to buy a completely new, and perfectly decent smartphone outright!
The cause behind the hike is as usual being attributed to rising component costs, supply-chain expenses, and other production-related pressures—reasons that have already resulted in price increases across several Apple products. However, what is surprising is that the revised prices are higher than what they were at the time of their launch. An appreciation in value after two years is a WILD concept to me, personally!This also means that all the users who were patiently waiting for the newer iPhones to drop, so that the older ones become more affordable are now left shocked, betrayed, hurt, and at a crossroads wondering: “To buy or not to buy?”
The betrayal does not stop there! If you compare the Indian prices with the U.S. market, with the freshly launched iPhone Duo being the biggest example – 1,999 USD in the US and a whopping ₹2,99,900 in India. It’s a (cruel) joke, and no one’s laughing, Apple.This random shift towards crazy pricing for Apple products in India should definitely count in the list of ‘Top Tech Betrayals Of All Times’, if there exists such a list.Now all that is left to see is whether this deters the Indian fans or not. And if it doesn’t, well, then when does this madness truly stop?!
