YouTubers Slam iPhone Duo Pricing

Apple recently unveiled its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max at its Surprise and Shine event. While the device starts at $1,999 in the US, the base 256GB variant is priced at ₹2,99,900 in India. The 512GB, 1TB and 2TB variants are priced at ₹3,24,900, ₹3,74,900 and ₹4,49,900, respectively. Pre-orders in India will begin on this month 16, while sales are set to start on October 23.

The steep India pricing has drawn criticism from tech YouTubers and content creators. Tech YouTuber Geeky Ranjit questioned the pricing, saying the device appears significantly more expensive in India even after taxes are taken into account. He argued that adding 18% GST to the US price would put the expected Indian price at around ₹2.35 lakh to ₹2.40 lakh, making the nearly ₹3 lakh starting price difficult to justify. He also warned that such pricing could push customers towards the grey market.

Apple’s decision to increase the price of the older iPhone 17 in India has also attracted criticism, as older models typically become cheaper after a new iPhone launch. The delay of the base iPhone 18 model until March 2027 has further fueled speculation that customers are being pushed towards higher-priced Pro models. Despite upgrades such as the new 2nm A20 Pro chip and variable-aperture camera, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is now at the center of debate over whether its pricing is too high for mainstream consumers.