NDTV Gadgets has learnt that the iPhone 6 will now be priced at Rs. 52,000 for the 16GB model and Rs. 62,000 for the 64GB variant. The iPhone 6 Plus is now priced in India at Rs. 62,000 and Rs. 72,000 for 16GB and 64GB models respectively. The older iPhone 5s will now start at Rs. 35,000 for the 16GB variant, with the 32GB model now priced at Rs. 40,000. All prices are the new Maximum Retail Price (MRP) for the respective products, and they may of course be available at lower price online and indeed in physical stores.
It's interesting that the price cut for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is relatively modest, considering the models are now retailing $100 (Rs. 6650 approximately) cheaper in the US. The India price cut, by comparison, is just Rs. 1,500 compared to last year's launch price, something you can perhaps blame on the complicated relationship the Indian rupee and the US dollar have had since the iPhone 6 was launched in India. In fact, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus prices were revised earlier this year, so compared to the MRPs earlier this week, which is a better reflection of the cut, the drop for the bigger iPhone models is Rs. 4,000. That makes the cut look better, but still not as high as one might have expected.
The modest price cut is also a sign that the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will almost certainly come to India with price tags higher than their predecessors. With the iPhone 6 at Rs. 52,000, expecting the new iPhone 6s at Rs. 53,500 (the launch price for last year's iPhone 6) is silly. An India price close to Rs. 60,000 for the iPhone 6s is looking increasingly likely now.
The one good news is that Apple has given its distributors a free hand in terms of promoting and pushing the older iPhone models, and the MRPs mentioned above are only indicative. NDTV Gadgets learns that an offer for providing the iPhone 5s at sub-Rs. 30,000 is already on its way, so if you are looking for iPhone deals, your best bet is to look at older models - but then you already know that.
Update: Copy updated reflected to acknowledge the fact that iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s Plus India MRP was increased earlier this year.
