Apple’s iPhone 17 series — the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro Max — ditched this past September, brought in a number of significant enhancements. But one alteration immediately raised eyebrows when it was made: the deletion of a 128GB option. With 256GB now the minimum base storage, it also had to be priced higher at launch by ₹3,000 ish over that of the iPhone 16.
New findings now also indicate it’s not over yet. Source – DesiTricks Now, the latest leaks from credible tipsters suggests that Apple is planning to once again hike price of iPhone 17 series in India.
iPhone 17 Price Hike: Here’s What Leaks Are Saying
A popular tipster Yogesh Brar recently hinted that Apple might once again increase the price for iPhone 17 and this could be by a lot. If the leak is to be believed, it could mean both 256GB and 512GB models might see a price hike of ₹7,000.
That would make the new rates roughly:
- 256GB variant: ₹89,900
- 512GB variant: ₹1,09,900
For context, this brings the regular iPhone 17 almost within spitting distance of the iPhone Air which today costs from around ₹1,12,900 during Black Friday sales. And if the prices do go up, the gulf between a vanilla iPhone and one of these Air models is going to be very small — something Apple typically tries to avoid as it ends up devaluing its own product segmentation.
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Why Apple Could Be Heading Towards a Price Increase in India
Such a move would be far from arbitrary. Nearly every top smartphone maker has raised prices in recent months as component costs have soared around the globe. For processors and camera sensors to display panels, the price of nearly every major hardware part has risen.
Here are some recent examples:
- iQOO 15 went on sale in India at a starting price of ₹18,000 over iQOO 7.
- Realme GT 8 Pro was hiked by ₹13,000.
- Also, Find X9 and OnePlus 15 were launched ₹5,000 and ₹3,000 more than the previous year’s models.
- So it wouldn’t be surprising if Apple tweaked its pricing, especially as manufacturing and supply chain costs continue to increase.
The Indian smartphone market is unique in that high import duties and taxes influence final prices. Apple, which continues to import most of its new models before gradually moving to local assembly, typically passes some of the cost on to consumers.
Does Apple Have Any Discounts to Offer?
While that possible price increment may sound disappointing, the tipster hints at Apple taking the hit by “cash bank offers or instant cash backs”. Apple typically joins hands with large Indian banks during launch seasons and festivals to lower effective prices for their customers.
In the last few launches, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, for instance, were offering cashback of ₹3,000-₹6,000 on chosen iPhones. If Apple has a similar promotion around the iPhone 17, it could defray some of the extra cost for buyers.
Although it is worth mentioning that these are yet to get ratified by Apple. The company has been absolutely quiet about whether or not prices are officially changing, and it looks like we won’t know for sure until Apple updates its website (or sends out a press release).
What About the Pro, Air and Pro Max Models?
The tipster also didn’t mentioned any new price information for the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Max. These devices could fall under the speculated mark up, or they may not, and we don’t yet know how much they’ll cost.
Final Thoughts
So far, the news of a potential price increase is a rumor — we don’t yet have an official confirmation. But in terms of the way hardware prices have been going industrywide, and from looking at the patterns for other cell phone manufacturers, this would not be a surprising move on Apple’s part.
For those who plan on buying the iPhone 17, the best course of action might be to hold out for official details from Apple or look for bank offers that could help ease the pain overall. Until then, the eyes will all be on Apple to figure out how the pricing game plays in India over the next few months.
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