Just like their predecessors, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are expensive smartphones in any market. But that’s especially true in India, where Apple’s latest smartphones come with crazy price tags starting at 62,000 rupees.
That’s the price of a 16GB iPhone 6s, the most affordable option in the lineup, and it roughly translates to $955 in U.S. dollars, AU$1,310 in Australian dollars, or £620 in the U.K. sterling. Actual prices in these markets are $649, AU$1,079, and £539 respectively.
There’s clearly a massive premium for customers in India, then, and it only gets larger when you choose a more expensive iPhone. For instance, a 128GB iPhone 6s Plus costs 92,000 rupees, which converts to about $1,415, AU$1,950 or £925.
However, the 128GB iPhone 6s Plus actually costs just $949 in the U.S., AU$1,379 in Australia, and £789 in the U.K. The table below from CNET shows the price of all six models in the 6s family.
It should be noted that U.S. pricing for the iPhone 6s does not include sales tax, which varies by state, so the difference wouldn’t be quite so large if you factor that in. However, it would remain substantial. Prices for Australia and U.K. do include sales tax, on the other hand.
“Ironically, the high pricing could prove a costly move for Apple, with analysts saying that such expensive smartphones will alienate almost all of its prospective userbase in India,” reports CNET.
Neil Shah, research director at Counterpoint Research, says that any handset priced at more than 60,000 rupees “is way out of reach for even an average rich urban consumer.”
In most markets, the iPhone 6s costs exactly the same as the iPhone 6 did when that made its debut last year, but India has seen significant price hikes. A 16GB iPhone 6 was priced at 56,000 rupees last year, 6,000 rupees less than the 16GB iPhone 6s.
Until the iPhone 6s made its debut in India, France was the most expensive market, with prices starting at $845, AU$1,161, or £550 there. This makes Apple’s device considerably more expensive than rivals from Samsung, LG, HTC, and others.
