Apple increases prices of iPhone 6, 6s by as much as 29% in India

By Harish Jonnalagadda
published

Apple is having a tough time selling the iPhone SE in the Indian market, where the 4-inch handset made its debut for ₹39,000. Barely a few thousand units were sold in the country according to retailer estimates, and a major reason for sluggish sales is due to the cost of the handset, which is higher than the price of a 16GB iPhone 6. Apple's looking to rectify the situation not by bringing down the retail price of the SE, but by raising the prices of the iPhone 6 and 6s by as much as 29%.

Citing an anonymous source, ET Tech said:

It was felt that SE, which was criticized for having a 'high price tag', will not be able to see much traction if prices of bigger-sized iPhone 6 and 6S devices are not corrected. So, the decision was taken to revise the price upwards.

The iPhone 5s, which is still on sale in India, saw a modest price hike as well, and is now offered for ₹22,000 instead of ₹18,000. The iPhone 6 was selling for a discounted ₹31,000, but the price of the phone has been "revised" to ₹40,000. The iPhone 6s has seen a similar correction from ₹40,500 to ₹48,000. It looks like the price hike was designed to create a buffer between the SE and the larger iPhone 6 and 6s:

After the revision, iPhone 6 costs Rs 40,000 and 6S comes for Rs 48,000. We are trying to build a healthy buffer.

It looks like Apple is working hard to position the phone better in the Indian market:

The stock of SE was in any case kept at a low level. A strategy is being worked out to pitch the device more effectively.

However, that may not work given the diminutive 4-inch form factor, as Indians have a preference for large-screened phones as they're better suited for media consumption:

Another problem for SE in India is the small screen size. Indians are increasingly buying larger screen-sized phones, even at the lower-end of the market. A lot of data is consumed on smart devices and smaller ones do not find much favour with buyers

What do you guys think of the price hike of the iPhone 6 and 6s?

Harish Jonnalagadda
Harish Jonnalagadda

The clumsiest man in tech.

34 Comments
  • That's ridiculous that they raised the prices of a several months old product. They of course can do whatever they want but it looks really bad from the outside.
  • RE: "It was felt that SE, which was criticized for having a 'high price tag', will not be able to see much traction if prices of bigger-sized iPhone 6 and 6S devices are not corrected. So, the decision was taken to revise the price upwards." Lolwut?! Is it some sort of "Do the exact opposite of what common sense dictates" day over at Apple marketing?
  • Kind of hilarious to me to read this report too and whoever thought that increasing the price of other similar products will help to boost the sales of a particular product.
    The only time I see this happened is when a country's currency is losing its value against the US$.
    Can't help laughing the whole time I read the original report.
  • come on apple!!!
    why so mean....
  • This seems like the silliest reasoning and decision taken by a person who is looking at declining sales. The low sales of SE are due to its high price vis-a-vis international prices and not because something else is cheaper. Most buyers of SE I know of, have purchased it through the grey market or have asked someone to bring it from abroad. Apple India, if you eliminate the arbitrage, your sales will be go up too.
  • Government is coming down hard on the grey market. Same situation if you're trying to get an iPhone from a different country. If it's a boxed unit, you'll have to declare it and shell out the duties.
  • Agreed on your reasoning. The move makes zero sense. They should've just stuck to reducing the price of the SE or introducing cashback schemes.
  • Ridiculous. Instead of increasing sales, potential buyers will turn away from Apple, and why not. If Apple launches another phone in September, they might increase the price of SE too just to make sure people buy new phone and not SE. As Ritesh said correctly, this will increase purchasing from grey market or asking somebody to bring it from abroad.
  • Apple is continuing to reveal it's evil in small bits and pieces. This is a moronic move at all levels.
  • Hyperbole anyone? :eye roll:
  • Doesn't the "Make in India" initiative have something to do with this? That phones NOT made in India are significantly pricier than locally made ones (and that's why everyone's building plants there...)
  • There's an added tax, yes, but that is included in the retail price of the handset at launch. Certainly doesn't justify the price hike of the 6 and 6s now.
  • It is to compensate for the price reduction in Japan. Sent from the iMore App
  • You think the SE is expensive? HA!
  • It is, in India.
    $399 is the perfect price for the SE, whereas in India they launched it at $599, which is plain stupid.
  • Same issue here in South Africa, the SE is basically the same price as the iPhone 6. Sent from the iMore App
  • Maybe because, in tech terms, it is not a "mini iPhone 6" but a "mini iPhone 6s". I don't know. Anyway, the price hike in India was totally dumb. However, Apple denies there's such move: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/apple-denies-price-hik...
  • Is there anyone thonkong there?? Sent from the iMore App
  • Can't wait their sales to drop drastically worldwide so they decrease the prices everywhere.. iPhones are so overpriced.. And I am iPhone user.. Compared to Android right now I feel my phone is from 2010 (iPhone 6). This is ridiculous, to increase old phones, just because you are too dumb to sell 4" phone for a fortune... Good luck :)
  • I don't think the iphone 6 feels like 2010... Unless you forgot how phones were in 2010. Sent from the iMore App
  • Nah. That's an exaggeration. I believe the HTC Evo and Moto Droids were first introduced that yet with the iPhone 4. We've came a long way lol.
  • Erroneous on Apple's part to assume that Indians are that stupid. This will only reduce sales of the iPhone 6. Sent from the iMore App
  • Apple is freaking dumb on this issue ! Sent from the iMore App
  • This is ridiculous. The iphone SE base model starting at Rs. 39,000 ($585) is ridiculous. When the price of the SE is $400 in the US. And now they go and increase the price of the 6 and 6S, which is already several months old. If anything, they should've priced the SE at around the same as in the US and I'm sure they would've sold much more than a few thousand units.
  • Lol. This has got to be the dumbest move I've heard recently. It just makes me not buy Apple ever.
  • They all have the money for it anyway over there Sent from the iMore App
  • Let's not lower the SE price. That would make too much sense. Let's raise the 6 price. Smh...
  • Eagerly waiting for Rene defending this move by Apple, we know Apple cant do wrong in he's universe.....
  • This has got to be pure idiocy.
    Quoting: "Another problem for SE in India is the small screen size. Indians are increasingly buying larger screen-sized phones, even at the lower-end of the market."
    The reasoning then must be: people in India don't want a device with a small screen like SE. Let's make them want it by making the phones they actually want more expensive. Now they'll have to buy the device we want them to buy or pay much more if they don't like it and want something else.
    It's about time that people start turning away from Apple - when taking a phone that's several years old and putting in a few components from other existing phones and forcing it onto people who don't want it is considered a good business practice, why shouldn't people feel cheated and angry and choose something else altogether?
    Most big companies go through such cycles - Nokia thought that they're untouchable and didn't pay attention when Android and iOS started to change the market, Blackberry thought that business customers would always choose their devices, many PC companies were riding the wave of ever growing PC market and failed to notice that it was reaching saturation...
    Are these the first signs that Apple's time might be coming as well?
  • Why should people start to turn away from Apple? Because of one error of judgement in jacking up the price of the SE in India? I don't agree with that big Apple had their reasons for the price hike, there's a reason why many people like Apple, Apple is about quality not quantity like Android, which has its market share by selling mostly cheap low end junk. With an iPhone, you're getting a user experience that is the best on a smartphone still snd while Android has improved, it still falls short of iOS in quality, consistency, fluidity, reliability and simplicity unless you're using stock Android for very basic stuff but beyond the basics, iOS is still consistently simple to use and that's just one of many things people (myself included) love about the iPhone. As long as Apple continues to make great products, people with continue to buy Apple. Sent from the iMore App
  • This article is about terrible pricing strategy of Apple products in India. My comment is about that.
    If such a thing had been done in my country and I was planning on purchasing a smartphone I wouldn't choose an iPhone. I as a customer would feel cheated. Having used both iOS and Android I wouldn't have problems with choosing either one.
    While there are good things about Apple products (as there are with many products from other companies as well), I completely disagree about iOS devices as being better.
    Apple and quality - My Apple charging cable broke even though I am quite careful with my devices. This has been my first and only cable that has ever broken and it was made by Apple (having searched in forums I can see that this is a well known issue - yet not addressed).
    Apple and simplicity - It isn't even possible to set a song from your library as a ringtone.
    Apple and consistency - iPhone 6 Plus can be used in both portrait and landscape orientation, however many apps have poor support for landscape orientation. Thus I need to constantly rotate my device back and forth when switching between apps or sometimes even within a single app. The same apps on my iPad work just fine in landscape and I don't have to rotate it back and forth.
    Apple and reliability - even iMore has quite a few articles on iOS devices being bricked or developing issues after software updates.
    Android and junk - while cheaper devices indeed are of lower quality comparing them with more expensive iPhones isn't objective. When stacking up Android flagships to iOS devices, I wouldn't say iPhones are of better quality.
    Apple products aren't perfect, magical and wonderful - they're just products with their flaws and problems, just like any other product.
  • I know Apple products aren't perfect, no product is but when it comes to a consistent user experience, app quality and updates and security, then iOS is a list better than most Android phones. As this article is about Apple increasing the prices of iPhones on India, I completely agree this isn't a good move by Apple considering the iPhone isn't selling well enough as it is due to its high price. I don't think Apple truly cares about India as much as China. Sent from the iMore App
  • Oh and maybe you should look after your lightning cable better. As I've not had any problems with any of my Lightning cable because I actually take care of my stuff and not lay blame on Apple not looking after my things properly. Sent from the iMore App
  • I was thinking to buy SE , unfortunately they kept more price tag in India compare to western markets , as per Company It's meant developing nations with low price tag, than how it is cheaper in other countries compare with India ? by adding more taxes also that won't make sense , it's costing 25,000 rs in USA , In India it's 39,000 rs , I don't think that 14,000 rs is tax . simply marketing gimmick. instead of solving SE higher price issue they want to increase other model prices just to keep this one alive . lol what a joke . how can they increase old model price just to address new issues ?
    before I tough because of cutting edge technologies and good hardware apple phones are costing more , now I realize that just to give premium look they are putting more price . I don't think SE is worth for 39,000 price .