But more than specifications and features, there is one question that is always on people’s minds when a new iPhone series is announced. And that’s around the price, especially for iPhone fans in India. iPhone remains an aspirational device for many given its premium market value and pricing. Last year with the iPhone 13 series, we saw Apple did not increase prices for India. But will it be the same this year?
Given the economic conditions, the weakening of the rupee against the US dollar and the general inflationary pressures, it is unlikely the iPhone 14 lineup start at the same price as last time. Let’s take a quick look at what can be expected and how Apple has priced the iPhone series in India in the past two years.
Apple iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini price and iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini price in India
When Apple launched iPhone 13 last year, it was priced at Rs 79,900 for the base 128GB storage variant. iPhone 13 mini started at Rs 69,900 for the same storage. The prices were the same as the iPhone 12 series in 2020 which started at the same price.
But the iPhone 12 series came with 64GB storage as the base option instead of the 128GB that we saw in 2021. So, technically Apple increased the storage but didn’t hike the India prices.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max prices in India
iPhone 13 Pro continued with the same trend of the price remaining the same. It started at Rs 1,19,900, while iPhone 13 Pro Max cost Rs 1,29,900. These were the same prices for iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max that launched in 2020. But, Apple kept the base storage options the same at 128GB for the Pro series.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 prices: Expect a price hike
With the iPhone 14 Pro series, a price hike is likely given the economic reasons we mentioned above. Noted Apple analyst Ming Chi-Kuo has also mentioned and said that he expects Apple to increase the price for its Pro series. If Apple packs in the fancier camera, the new pill-shaped notch display along with other improvements, it is likely that costs will go up.
Kuo tweeted recently, “I estimated iPhone 14 series ASP would increase by about 15% (vs. iPhone 13 series ASP) to $1,000-1,050 (USD) due to two iPhone 14 Pro’s price hikes & higher shipment proportion.”
Currently, the iPhone 13 mini starts at $699 and the iPhone 13 at $799 in the US. The iPhone 13 Pro starts at $999 and the iPhone 13 Pro Max at $1099. The India iPhone prices are much higher, even if you convert the dollar prices to rupee and that’s typically the case each year. So, while iPhone 13 costs Rs 64,000 in the US, in India, the starting price is Rs 79,900. With the Pro series, this difference is more glaring. The price of the iPhone 13 Pro translates to Rs 80,000 in India, but it costs more than a lakh.
If the Average Selling Price (ASP) goes up by 15 per cent, then iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will both clearly cross the $1000 mark. Meanwhile, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives has predicted a $100 price increase for iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. So, iPhone 14 Pro could start at $1100 and iPhone Pro Max at $1199. He expects the price of the base iPhone 14 to remain the same as last year.
There is also the question of how Apple will price the iPhone 14 Max. This will be one device many might be hoping to pick up as it is expected to sport a bigger display and will likely come in the same size as iPhone 14 Pro Max. But it will come with a different processor and other specifications.
Right now, based on analyst notes and overall economic conditions indicate, consumers hoping to upgrade to the iPhone 14 Pro series should be prepared to pay more.
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