Apple’s iPhones are perhaps the most expensive smartphones that your money can buy.
The tech giant is regularly coming up with new models of smartphones having newly added features in order to attract and acquire new customers but there is no denying that buying an iPhone is still a far cry for the majority of Indian smartphone users all due to its (un)usually high price.
But things are not the same if you can be not a frog and get out of the well called India.
For instance, if you go to Africa, you can buy an iPhone, at a price which is cheaper than anywhere else all across the globe. Reason? The regional tax structure of Africa.
Thus, raises a good question in our mind that why not the same for India too?
Recently, iPhone 8 and 8 plus have been launched on 29th September while iPhone X is awaited to be launched on November 3.
Now if we talk about the price of iPhone X, its 64 GB version will be priced at $999 and 256 GB version at $1149 in the USA which can be considered as the cheapest price all over the world.
And according to all possibilities, the iPhone X will be the most expensive in India in the entire world with a tentative staple price of Rs. 89,000.
Now that’s harsh, is not it?
So let us discuss the price variations on iPhones. There are few factors why iPhone is being costly in India:
Tax Structure:
Import of an iPhone is not classified under the same code. For example chargers, headphones and other accessories fall under different codes, and thus, have different duty rates.
Apart from this, once a complete iPhone has passed from custom by paying all the duties, there are many other taxes according to different states.
Image and data credit: Statista
Therefore, they are compelled to increase the prices to earn the profit and hence, in the end, it is the customer who pays more for the same thing which he could have got at a low price, provided that there were not so many taxes.
Depreciation Of Indian Rupee:
This might be one of the primary reasons why iPhones are the costliest in India.
The Indian rupee has experienced a serious depreciation against US dollar over few years. The cost itself is converted from USD to INR, and thus, lower value of currency makes iPhone comparatively costlier.
Third Party Involvement:
Apple doesn’t have many Apple Stores in India and presently, it is selling mostly through third-party electronic stores and resellers.
This increases the price of iPhone as Apple needs to pay these third-parties their payable commision as well.
Solution to this adversity?
Manufacturing In India
Things are not all bad for iPhone lovers. Ever noticed that Apple iPhone SE is cheap here nowadays. While Russia being the costliest country to host the SE, India is surprisingly the second cheapest on the list. And this is because of the fact that SE is nowadays being manufactured at Bengaluru itself. A major policy change has also led to the establishment of the first few Apple Stores in India.
Moreover Indian government is regularly promoting the “Make in India” campaign and if Apple sets up its manufacturing of the entire line up in India, it will result in lower prices for customers as the import duties will go virtually non existent.
