Apple launched three iPhone models on Tuesday — the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and the iPhone X. Although the barrage of leaks left very little to imagination on as to how the devices looked, or what hardware, but the pricing for those smartphones left many heads shaking here.
To elaborate, the pricing gap between the Indian and US market, especially for the iPhone X has once again bought back the old familiar question of whether to buy the iPhone from the US, a better alternative.
Before we jump into the explanations, we would like to clarify that smartphone manufacturers have to pay when they import smartphones to a particular country. This means you are bound to find that the Indian pricing is higher than the US when we go for direct conversion. We shall compare prices just to give an idea to the users about the difference, leaving out exchange rates fluctuations and purchasing power parity. Also, US pricing does not include taxes, and roughly 10 per cent and it varies from state to state. Indian pricing however, does.
Starting with the top of the line iPhone X, the 64GB variant of the smartphone has been priced by the Cupertino giant at $999. In India, the same variant has been made available at a soul-selling price of Rs 89,000, which is roughly $1,388 which is around 40 per cent more than the US price. If we take the 256GB variant of the iPhone X, the US pricing stands at $1,149 while in India the smartphone will burn a hole in your pocket for just Rs 1,02,000, which is roughly $1,591, again around 40 higher than its US counterpart.
For the iPhone 8, the 64GB variant costs $699 in the US. The smartphone in Indian markets will be available for Rs 64,000 which is roughly $998, and over 42 per cent more than the US. Similarly, the 256GB variant stand at a US pricing of $849, while in India its priced at Rs 77,000 which is $1,200 and again over 40 per cent more than its US price.
Finally, the iPhone 8 Plus, the 64GB variant is priced at $799 in the US. The smartphone in the domestic market stands at Rs 73,000 which is roughly $1,139, over 42 per cent more than the US spec. The 256GB variant stands at $949 US pricing, however in India it costs Rs 86,000 which roughly translates to $1,341 — around 41 per cent higher than its US price.
The iPhone 8 models pre-orders in India will begin on September 22, and will be launched in India on September 29, the pre-orders for iPhone X will start on October 27, and shipping will commence on November 3.
