What The New iPhones Could Cost You in India, From The Pro to The Foldable

Apple's big launch happens late tonight India time, and for most of us here, the real headline is not the cameras or the new chip, it is the price. So before the official numbers land, here is what the leaks point to for India.

Start with the one most people will actually consider. The iPhone 18 Pro is tipped to begin at Rs 1,44,900, going by tipster Yogesh Brar, whose India numbers usually land close, and that is Rs 10,000 more than the iPhone 17 Pro, which opened at Rs 1,34,900 last year. The iPhone 18 Pro Max, meanwhile, is expected to start at Rs 1,59,900.

Neither jump is fun, but neither is a shock, because in the US, Apple is reportedly lifting the Pro prices by only 100 dollars, which is smaller than the 200 or 300 dollar hikes people had braced for, and it seems to be absorbing part of the rising memory chip cost itself. India is simply tracking that same modest bump.

Then there is the phone everyone actually wants to gossip about. Apple's first foldable, which reports variously call the iPhone Ultra or iPhone Duo, is tipped to start at Rs 2,49,900 in India, and if that holds, it becomes the most expensive iPhone this country has ever seen, by a wide margin.

Put Rs 2.5 lakh in perspective, and for most people that is not phone money, it is a decent used car, or a very good laptop with a holiday on top. It is also a big premium over the folding phones already selling here, because Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8 starts at Rs 1,79,999, and even the pricier Z Fold8 Ultra opens at Rs 1,99,999, which means Apple would be asking Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000 more for the privilege of a folding iPhone.

That gap tells you who this is for. Apple is not chasing the shopper comparing foldables across brands, it is going after people who already own an iPhone, want a folding screen, and refuse to leave iOS to get one.

A few honest caveats before you plan the EMIs. These are leaked figures rather than the official India list, which Apple reveals at the event tonight, so prices can still move by a few thousand rupees either way. The foldable is also not going on sale next to the Pro models, and since early supply is expected to be tight, it may only reach Indian stores weeks, or even months, later.

There is a bigger shift underneath all this, though. A global memory shortage is pushing phone prices up everywhere, and Apple is leaning harder on its costliest models to guard its margins, which means that for buyers here, the affordable iPhone keeps drifting out of reach while the top of the range gets dearer every single year.

We will know the real numbers in a few hours, but going by the leaks, keep the wallet ready.