Apple iPhone 18 Pro is pricey, yet it's iPhone 17 price hike that may pinch Indians

The launch of the iPhone 18 Pro series and iPhone Duo has aroused some strong reactions from Apple fans in India. The last 24 hours on social media among geeks and gadget lovers have been all about Apple’s new iPhones and their INR price tags. But in the middle of this, the people who are less vocal, and yet the ones who are going to get impacted by the iPhone inflation, are going to be those who were looking to buy an older iPhone after the launch of the new ones.

You see there has been a pattern that has developed in India in the last few years. Apple will launch new phones, and at the same time reduce the price on the older base iPhones, making them more affordable as well as priming them for steeper discounts.

This time, the company has done a reverse uno due to component and RAM pricing. The iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro Max along with the iPhone Duo, have come in at significantly high prices. And the prices of the older iPhone 17 and the iPhone 16 have been increased as well. That ought to pinch a sizable number of people who were looking to snag an iPhone 17 or iPhone 16 for a sweet deal.iPhone 17 gets more expensive

Just after launching its new iPhones, Apple increased the prices of its older-generation models in India. There is no standard iPhone 18 this year, which means the iPhone 17 remains the most advanced standard iPhone in Apple's lineup. But the phone that arrived at Rs 82,900 now costs Rs 99,900. That’s a Rs 17,000, or roughly 20 per cent, increase. The 512GB variant has also gone from Rs 1,02,900 to Rs 1,24,900. That is the price range where you would have got Pro iPhones in the past. Apple has effectively pushed its mainstream iPhone closer to the Rs 1 lakh mark.

“The iPhone 17 price increase is significant for India because it pushes Apple’s mainstream flagship from Rs 82,900 to Rs 99,900 in one move. A Rs 17,000, or roughly 20 per cent, increase is difficult to absorb in a price-sensitive market, particularly when the same phone has gone up by only $100 in the US,” independent analyst Yogesh Barar told India Today Tech.The 2025 price made iPhone 17 best seller

When the iPhone 17 made its entry in September 2025, it was considered one of the most complete standard iPhones. Compared to the iPhone 16, the iPhone 17 arrived with 256GB as the base storage variant and introduced a 120Hz screen refresh rate. And these two upgrades alone made it more compelling.

So much so that the iPhone 17 became the world's best-selling smartphone in Q2 2026, accounting for 6 per cent of global smartphone unit sales, according to Counterpoint.

In India, the iPhone 17 also became a particularly attractive option for buyers who wanted a new iPhone or wanted to enter the Apple ecosystem without paying Pro prices.

Then came the discounts. During sales, the effective price of the iPhone 17 could fall below Rs 70,000, while exchange offers could bring the cost down further. For many buyers, that made the iPhone 17 an easy phone to consider, particularly during the festive season.

“The price hikes are significant for Indian consumers, particularly price-sensitive buyers who rely on older iPhones as a more affordable entry point into the Apple ecosystem,” said Shubham Singh, research analyst at Counterpoint. “Higher memory costs are adding further pressure on pricing, while promotions and discounts are likely to be less aggressive than last year.”Pull of brand Apple remains strong

In a way, Apple’s hands are tied. It is responding to market realities and rising costs. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that the price increase is going to break a lot of hearts in India because it makes the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 16 less affordable.

“Given the ongoing RAMageddon, Apple has chosen not to fully absorb component inflation on the Pro tier this year. The 20–22 per cent Pro price increase is materially steeper than in recent generations, representing a partial pass-through of higher memory and process-node costs,” Prabhu Ram of CMR told India Today Tech.

Although analysts do believe that Apple’s brand pull stays strong and Indians will try to add a little bit extra to get an iPhone over anything else. “I don’t necessarily expect this to hurt Apple’s premium positioning in India, but it could change how people buy an iPhone. Upgrade cycles could get longer,” says Barar.

Shubham Singh also hints at a similar change in buying behaviour. “This (price hike of iPhone 17) could encourage consumers to delay upgrades and extend device lifecycles, while refurbished iPhones may become more attractive,” he says.

At the same time, according to Ram, “trade-ins, cashback and no-cost EMI (will) allow Apple to broaden the addressable premium smartphone market without diluting headline pricing.”- EndsPublished By: Divya BhatiPublished On: Sep 11, 2026 13:29 ISTAlso Read | In an awww email, 12-day-old AI agent Pip writes to researchers seeking paid gigAlso Read | iPhone Duo is unique and expensive, here are 5 features that make it soAlso Read | Apple launched 5 products last night including iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro: All India prices