Why the iPhone 18 Pro Price in India Is Heading for a Massive Hike, And No, It’s Not AI

Apple is all set to unveil its first foldable iPhone Ultra alongside the iPhone 18 Pro series in September. While the base iPhone 18 may not arrive until 2027, this year’s Pro models will get a significant price hike. But it isn’t due to the ongoing chip shortage or the war in Iran; there’s another reason you will need to pay more for the upcoming iPhone models. Here’s everything you need to know about the potential Apple iPhone 18 Pro price hike.

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max Isn’t Getting A Price Hike Because Of AI

Based on multiple reports, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will debut with a $200 to $300 hike. The iPhone 18 Pro could cost $1,299, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max could retail for $1,399.

Although that’s just a $200 increase in the US, it could translate to a ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 price jump in India. This means that the iPhone 18 Pro could start at ₹1.5 lakhs while the Pro Max could retail for a whopping ₹2 lakhs. It will make the most expensive Pro model iPhone to launch in the country to date.

Also Read:

• 7 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Features That Put Other Foldables to Shame
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Ultra: Innovation or Samsung Trying To Beat Apple Again
• iOS 27 Update: Eligible Devices, Features, and Release Date

However, the biggest hit will land on the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s 1TB variant, rumoured to be $300 more expensive in the US. Given that the 1TB variant of the iPhone 17 Pro Max currently retails for ₹1.9 lakh in India, don’t be surprised if the iPhone 18 Pro Max breaches the ₹2.5 lakh mark.

With the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models also rumoured to see a price hike in the first week of August, Apple fans don’t have much good news to look forward to. If you’re planning to buy a new iPhone, it might be best to do so before the hikes kick in.

Why Is Apple Increasing The Prices?

So why is Apple raising prices on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max? And before you blame AI or Donald Trump for the ongoing conflict, wait. There are multiple factors at play, such as the depreciation of the rupee against the dollar, high import duties, and 18 percent GST.

The ongoing chip shortage has only added fuel to the fire. Rising memory prices are pushing up the bill of materials (BoM) cost for the upcoming iPhones.Another reason is the shift to a cutting-edge 2nm A20 Pro chip. Samsung has already moved to 2nm architecture with the Exynos 2600, and the A20 Pro will be Apple’s first chip built on a 2nm fabrication process.

So What’s Changing With The iPhone 18 Pro?

Beyond the price increase, the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max will launch with a smaller Dynamic Island. The overall design stays largely similar to last year’s model, with a triple camera setup and a large camera island.

Apple has made the Pro models slightly thicker, by about 0.5mm, though most users are unlikely to notice the difference. What you will notice at first glance are the four new colors: Light Blue, Dark Cherry, Dark Gray, and Silver. The phones will also feature an LTPO+ display.

Other upgrades include a triple camera setup with a variable aperture lens, letting users control the amount of light and depth of field, along with Apple’s new C2 modem supporting mmWave 5G connectivity.

Finally, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will get bigger batteries, at 4,288mAh and 5,567mAh respectively, up from the 4,252mAh and 5,088mAh batteries in the current iPhone 17 lineup.

While these are mostly incremental upgrades, Apple is charging a premium for them, and buyers will have to pay up. Since the base iPhone 18 isn’t arriving until 2027, buyers this year will have fewer, pricier options compared to last year.