iPhone 17 series in India: Attractive pricing, but steep premium stays

Apple Inc has unveiled its latest iteration of the iPhone, introducing the entry-level iPhone 17 at a starting price of around ₹82,900, powered by 256GB of storage—a reduction of roughly ₹7,000 compared to the launch price of the iPhone 16, which debuted at ₹89,900.

- Surajeet Das Gupta

Yet, despite these devices bearing the "Made in India" label, local consumers continue to pay a steep premium compared to their counterparts in the US, where the same models are exported.

The Cupertino-based company has made efforts to absorb some costs, including depreciation and taxes, but the price gap remains stark.

This time, Apple has shifted strategy, launching all models beginning at 256GB, unlike the iPhone 16 range, where only the iPhone Pro Max started at that capacity, while others began at 128GB. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are priced around ₹5,000 higher than their predecessors, marking a modest increase of less than 4 per cent.