iPhone is now more affordable in India, full credit goes to Apple CEO Tim Cook

This may come as a surprise to most of you. You may not feel this way. You may even refuse to believe it. But facts are facts. And the fact is that the iPhone, at least compared to how it was 10 years ago, is now more affordable in India. Yes, we agree that someone spending Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 on the shiny new Apple may not feel that way. But feelings are just that. Feelings. Objectively you look at it, and it is clear — very clear — that the iPhone is no longer as expensive in India as it used to be. All thanks to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Let’s look at the facts before you scroll down to the end of this article and start hammering in the comments section angrily. When we say that the iPhone has become affordable in India, we say that with a reason.

Let’s go back 10 years ago, to 2016 when the best way to get an iPhone was to ask that Auntie or Uncle in the US or Dubai to purchase the latest iPhone and bring it home.

Do the iPhone math

The year 2016 saw the launch of the iPhone 7. This phone was launched in India at a starting price of Rs 60,000. But as economists say, when it comes to talking about money in the present, always count inflation as well. So, if we adjust the price of the iPhone 7 — that is Rs 60,000 — to the rate of inflation, we get a figure of around Rs 94,000. In other words, what used to cost Rs 60,000 in 2016 should cost around Rs 94,000 in 2016, all things being equal.

But today the iPhone doesn’t start at Rs 94,000. Instead, the iPhone 17 is priced at Rs 82,900, with the more affordable iPhone 17e selling at Rs 64,900. Even if we leave the iPhone 17e for a moment, the iPhone 17 is around 11,000 cheaper than the price Apple charged a decade ago for a comparable phone in its lineup.

And it’s not just the inflation-adjusted price. Even in terms of the iPhone cost relative to income, the iPhone in 2026 in India is cheaper now.

A quick glance shows that India’s per capita income was around Rs 1,59,365 in 2016. This means the iPhone 7 would cost somewhere around 37 per cent of the total income of an average Indian. Although, before you call us crass, do know that we understand the average Indian was not buying an iPhone in 2016. In fact, they still are not buying it. But statistics are what they are. And feelings don’t change them. Back to the point, in 2026 the per capita income is expected to be around Rs 2,62,621 in India. This means, assuming the iPhone 17 costs Rs 82,900 at the moment, the cost of the device would be around 31 per cent of the total annual income.

In other words, cheaper compared to how much it would cost in 2016.

All thanks to Apple CEO Tim Cook?

Now, how did the iPhone become “cheaper” in India? Or become more affordable? This did not happen overnight. Tim Cook and other Apple executives did not slash prices. Rather, they ensured that the prices hold, that they do not rise.

Here are some more facts. In 2019, the vanilla iPhone 11 came with a price tag of Rs 64,900, effectively worth Rs 88,000 today. The next year, the price of the iPhone 12 was increased to Rs 79,900. But you also got a Mini variant that was Rs 10,000 cheaper.

And from the iPhone 12 to the iPhone 16 in 2024, the company did not increase the price of the vanilla iPhone again. The world went through Covid supply chain disruption, inflation increased, component prices increased, forex rates changed, and yet Apple did not increase the price of the iPhone for a full five years. It was kept at Rs 79,900. Effectively, this meant that the iPhone became more affordable over five years.

In 2025, the iPhone 17 saw a hike of Rs 3,000 to Rs 82,900. But you also got double the storage at 256GB. That is, you were basically saving Rs 7,000, as earlier, you would get the 256GB vanilla iPhone at Rs 89,900.

Discounts, EMIs and older iPhones

It is said that the genius and expertise of Tim Cook is not in products. Instead, it is in supply chain management. He is master at keeping the manufacturing costs low and ensuring that the best parts are available for Apple devices. It is this supply management that helped Apple EFFECTIVELY make the iPhone cheaper in India.

There are two aspects to it. One, because of superior supply chain management, Apple managed to keep the prices of the iPhone stagnant and stable even if all other gadgets were getting more and more expensive. The company was also helped by the fact that under Tim Cook, Apple doubled down on manufacturing in India. Local manufacturing of iPhones too helped the company keep the prices stable in India. In 2016, all iPhones in India would come from countries like China, incurring duty and excise charges. Now, the local manufacturing was helping the company rationalise prices.

The other part of the story is how Apple effectively made the iPhone more affordable in India by re-jigging its business strategy. Instead of the strategy it follows in other countries, where the new iPhones replace the older models, in India Apple keeps selling several generations of iPhones. With each subsequent launch, it reduced prices on the older models.

In India you can buy older iPhones for a lower price, sometimes even two years after launch. For instance, currently you can buy the iPhone 15 which was launched in 2023 today for under Rs 60,000.

This clever strategy lowers the entry barrier for consumers. Nowadays, some people even wait for Apple to launch the new model so that they can buy the older one for cheaper.

And then you get discounts, of course, with blessings from Apple even if the company doesn’t explicitly say so. Sales on Flipkart and Amazon often promote deals on older iPhones. In last year’s Flipkart Big Billion Days sale, the platform was selling the iPhone 16 for an effective price of Rs 51,999. And the iPhone 14, a three-year-old device by that time, was also on sale, just for Rs 39,999. These deals, when combined with EMI offers, help Apple win over more consumers in India.

No wonder, we see many more iPhones in the hands of people nowadays. Forget data, just look around you. If you work in an air-conditioned office, live in a high-rise housing society, or belong to a group of people who don’t think twice before stepping into a Starbucks for expensive coffee, chances are that everyone around you carries an iPhone. This is not how it was in 2016. But this is how it is in 2026.