New Delhi: In a major departure from its long-standing global tradition, Apple has increased the prices of previous-generation iPhones in India following the debut of the new iPhone 18 series. Rather than lowering the cost of older devices as part of its annual post-launch adjustments, the tech giant has introduced steep price hikes across its existing lineup, led by a significant jump for the standard iPhone 17.
The standard iPhone 17, which previously retailed at a baseline of Rs 82,900, has witnessed a sharp increase of Rs 17,000, bringing its new starting price to Rs 99,900 for the 256GB variant. Similarly, higher storage configurations, such as the 512GB model, have climbed from Rs 1,02,900 to Rs 1,24,900. Other legacy and recent models have not been spared either; the older iPhone 16 saw an increase of up to Rs 20,000, while the ultra-slim iPhone Air experienced a substantial surge of Rs 30,000, resetting its retail entry to Rs 1,49,900.
Industry analysts attribute this unusual pricing strategy primarily to mounting global pressures on component manufacturing costs, often referred to as “chipflation”. The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence data centers worldwide has created an unprecedented surge in demand for semiconductor memory components, specifically DRAM and NAND chips.
Because hardware manufacturers and memory suppliers increasingly prioritize lucrative AI-infrastructure contracts, consumer electronics supply chains are experiencing tight margins and elevated production expenditures.
Market experts note that this unexpected revision disrupts the conventional buyer journey in India, where consumers traditionally awaited a new series launch to purchase older-generation iPhones at discounted rates. With entry-level prices for standard models now pushing close to the one-lakh-rupee mark, prospective buyers and tech enthusiasts are forced to recalibrate their upgrade budgets in response to shifting global supply chain dynamics.