While Apple continues to dominate the paramount US smartphone market in terms of both sales numbers and profits, the company’s trouble across two other key regions seems to be intensifying rather than ameliorating. Of course, the Cupertino-based tech giant is not sitting idly by as the likes of Huawei, Xiaomi, and even OnePlus are rendering its brand irrelevant in China and India, fighting back with long overdue price cuts.
Following an unprecedented such move in the world’s largest smartphone market a few months back, Apple is reportedly discounting the iPhone XR in India right now by the equivalent of several hundred US dollars. Namely, a whopping $250 or so (17,000 rupees), which actually doesn’t make the company’s entry-level 2018 iPhone model quite as affordable as you might imagine.
That’s because the iPhone XR was released in the region at a starting price of Rs. 76,900, equating to more than $1,100, which sounds ridiculous even by Apple’s standards. After the new discount is applied, the LCD-sporting 6.1-incher will cost Rs. 59,900 at authorized retail partners, which converts to $870 or so. That’s still more than what US buyers are typically charged, although the comparison is obviously not entirely fair.
At the same time, it’s definitely worth pointing out that the Samsung Galaxy S10e starts at a lower recommended price of around 56,000 rupees ($810), no deals needed. As for the OnePlus 6T, which is one of the most popular “premium” handsets in India, it’s pretty obvious Apple has no intention to go as low as 38,000 rupees ($550) anytime soon.
Still, this regional iPhone XR price cut could be the beginning of a beautiful global comeback for a company that must find ways to stop its recent sales decline. More iPhone discounts are likely to come to India in the near future as Apple ramps up local production of both lower-end and ultra-high-end models like the XS and XS Max. Speaking of, the iPhone XS Max continues to go for a preposterous $1,600 or so (Rs. 109,900) in a 64GB configuration. No wonder a measly 1.7 million iPhones were shipped in total in India last year.