Apple has raised the prices of several iPhone models in India following the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, breaking with the usual trend of older models becoming cheaper when a new generation arrives.
The iPhone 17 is now priced from ₹99,900 for the 256GB variant, up from its earlier launch price of ₹82,900 — a ₹17,000 increase. Apple has also raised prices of the iPhone 16, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air.
The 256GB iPhone 17 now costs ₹99,900 in India, compared with ₹82,900 previously. The 512GB version has also increased from ₹1,02,900 to ₹1,24,900.
The hike means buyers looking for a previous-generation flagship after the latest Pro launch will not necessarily get the price advantage they would normally expect.
iPhone 16, 17e and Air also become more expensive
The price increase extends across several models. The 256GB iPhone 17e now costs ₹79,900, up from ₹64,900, while the iPhone 16 128GB has increased from ₹69,900 to ₹89,900.
The iPhone Air has seen an even sharper increase. Its 256GB version now costs ₹1,49,900, up from ₹1,19,900. The 1TB model has jumped from ₹1,59,900 to ₹2,24,900, marking a ₹65,000 increase.
Why has Apple increased the prices?
Apple has not publicly given a model-by-model explanation for the latest India price changes. However, the biggest factor identified by Apple and industry analysts is the sharp rise in memory and storage chip costs.
Demand for memory has surged as technology companies build AI data centres and expand AI-related infrastructure. This has tightened supply and increased component costs for consumer electronics manufacturers. Reuters also reported that the global memory shortage was a key factor behind Apple's pricing changes.
Tim Cook had warned in June that price increases were becoming unavoidable because of rising memory and storage costs. He later described the situation as a “100-year flood” in memory pricing, pointing to unusually steep increases in component costs.
India sees one of the steepest increases
The impact has been particularly sharp in India. Reuters reported that Apple's latest price revisions pushed some existing models up by as much as 41%, making India's increase among the steepest across markets where Apple adjusted prices in 2026.
Analysts have also pointed to other factors, including currency movements, import-related costs and India's tax structure, alongside the global memory shortage.
Why the timing matters
Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max on September 9, but did not launch a standard iPhone 18 at that event. The iPhone 17 therefore remains the company's standard flagship model below the new Pro range.
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at ₹1,64,900 in India, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at ₹1,79,900. Pre-orders began on September 12, with sales scheduled to start on September 18.
The 2TB variants are priced at ₹3,14,900 for the iPhone 18 Pro and ₹3,29,900 for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, putting the top-end models well above the ₹3 lakh mark in India.
Apple’s iPhone Duo, the company’s first foldable iPhone, has been launched in India at a starting price of ₹2,99,900 for the 256GB variant. The 512GB model is priced at ₹3,24,900, while the 1TB and 2TB variants cost ₹3,74,900 and ₹4,49,900, respectively. The premium pricing makes the iPhone Duo significantly more expensive than Apple’s conventional flagship models, positioning it as a high-end device aimed at consumers willing to pay a substantial premium for a foldable design.
What this means for iPhone buyers
The latest move changes the usual upgrade equation for Indian consumers. Instead of automatically getting a cheaper previous-generation iPhone after a new launch, buyers may now face higher official prices even on older models.
For shoppers, this makes bank offers, trade-ins and retailer discounts more important when deciding whether to buy an older iPhone or move to one of Apple's newer models.
