iPhone Sales Fall up to 30 Percent This Festive Season, and the Missing Rs 60,000 iPhone Is the Reason

For years, the festive season has been the best time to buy an iPhone in India. Discounts on Flipkart and Amazon, bank offers and exchange deals pushed older iPhones into a price range many first-time buyers could afford. This year, that formula seems to have broken.

iPhone sales in India have dropped by up to 30 percent during this year's festive season, including the Dussehra period, according to a Moneycontrol report. Experts now expect Apple's iPhone shipments in India to fall by double digits this year, which would be a rare setback in one of its fastest-growing markets.

The affordable iPhone has disappeared

The biggest reason is the price. Soon after launching the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone Duo in September, Apple raised prices on its existing iPhones in India, citing rising memory chip costs. The iPhone 17 went up nearly 21 percent to Rs 99,900, and the 1TB iPhone Air jumped 41 percent to Rs 2,24,900.

Apple also skipped a base iPhone 18 this year, so there was no new, relatively cheaper model to pull in buyers. And with prices already higher, retailers have reportedly pulled back on festive discounts too.

Put together, the iPhone that used to sell for around Rs 60,000 during a festive sale is much harder to find this year. For a lot of buyers, especially those upgrading from an Android phone or an old iPhone, that was the entry point.

The Pro buyers haven't gone anywhere

The slowdown isn't happening everywhere, though. According to Counterpoint Research, initial sales of the iPhone 18 Pro series in India were nearly 20 percent higher than those of the iPhone 17 Pro series last year. Demand for the iPhone Duo was strong enough that pre-orders in India sold out within an hour, even at Rs 2,99,900.

So the people who were always going to buy the most expensive iPhone are still buying. It is the price-sensitive buyer, the one waiting for a Big Billion Days or Great Indian Festival deal, who is holding back. Reports also say supply of the iPhone 18 Pro has been limited, which may have cost Apple some sales.

Apple isn't alone. Counterpoint says India's overall smartphone market fell 20 percent in the July to September quarter, with phones under Rs 20,000 nearly halving, as memory chip costs pushed prices up across brands. Online festive sales overall fell 7 to 10 percent in the first four days compared with last year, according to Datum Intelligence data reported by the Economic Times.

Apple's share of the Indian market slipped from 9 percent to 8 percent by volume in the last quarter, according to Counterpoint. Omdia estimates Apple shipped 3.9 million iPhones in India in the quarter, down 20 percent from a year ago.

What it means for buyers

If you were waiting for a big iPhone discount this Diwali, it may not come. Prices are higher and offers are thinner, and Counterpoint expects brands to raise prices again after the festive season ends. If you need a new iPhone soon, comparing exchange offers and bank deals across stores is likely to save you more than waiting for a price cut. You can still get the iPhone 17 under Rs 85,000, we have broken down the deal for you if you still wish to get the older model.