Apple revealed iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in San Francisco on Sept. 7, but the new flagships will not be available in India for a month. Among other things, the new iPhones will carry a hefty price tag at launch in India on Oct. 7.
The new iPhones come in four shades - silver, gold, rose gold and the new jet black and black, and three storage variants - 32GB, 128GB and 256GB.
Apple did not reveal the pricing of individual iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus variants, but confirmed that the models will start at Rs. 60,000. This is in clear reference to the iPhone 7 32GB, which is the base variant. Higher storage models and the iPhone 7 Plus will be priced at a higher range.
Apple's pricing hasn't changed much compared to last year's flagships, in fact they seem to offer more at a lower price. The 16GB iPhone 6s was priced at Rs. 62,000 at launch and had a difference of Rs. 10,000 between higher storage variants. In 2014, the iPhone 6 16GB was launched at Rs. 53,500 and the iPhone 6 Plus was priced at Rs. 62,500.
Going by this trend, one can expect the price difference between the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus to be around Rs. 10,000. Apple is yet to confirm that.
The iPhone 7 will be the cheapest in the U.S. at $649, which roughly translates to Rs. 43,400 – a massive difference from its official Indian pricing. In Italy, iPhone buyers will pay almost same as India as the iPhone 7 32GB variant costs €799, which is roughly Rs. 59,900.
With the launch of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, it seems like another major tradition will be put to rest in India. According to the largest Apple distributor in India, Beetel Teletech Ltd., the sales of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will begin at 7 p.m. on Oct. 7 across its 2,000 retail locations in north and east regions, the Times of India reported.
Like in the U.S. and other countries, the new iPhones have been launched at midnight in India, building excitement and long queues outside Apple Stores. Another Apple distributor in India, Rashi Peripherals, confirmed that the new iPhone sales will commence on Oct. 7, but did not reveal if it will follow the U.S.-like midnight launch.
In addition to the iPhone 7 pricing, Apple has also revealed the prices of its new accessories range. The all-new Apple wireless AirPods along with a charging case will cost Rs. 15,400 and will be available in India in late October. The EarPods with lightning connector will also be sold separately for Rs. 2,500, while the headphone jack adapter will cost Rs. 900. The regular EarPods and headphone jack adaptor will be included in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus box.
Buyers can also accessorise their new iPhones with leather and silicone cases starting at Rs. 2,900. A smart battery case for iPhone 7 will be available at Rs. 8,900, while lightning docks with matching metallic finish will also be available at Rs. 3,700.
