iPhone 17 now costs Rs 99,900 in India, so buyers are waiting or going Pro

Picture this. You saved up for months to buy an iPhone 17. Then, one morning, the price tag jumps by Rs 17,000. That is roughly what happened in India, and now Apple is making fewer of these phones for Indian shops. On 17 October 2026, The Economic Times reported that Apple is cutting India-bound production of the standard iPhone 17 because demand dropped after a price hike of more than 20%.

At the same time, more Indians are paying extra for the fancier Pro models. So the mix of iPhones that Indians buy is slowly changing. Here is what is going on, in simple words.

First, how big was the price jump?

On 10 September 2026, right after its new phone launch, Apple raised prices of its older iPhones in India. According to Business Today, the 256GB iPhone 17 went from Rs 82,900 to Rs 99,900. That is Rs 17,000 more, or about 20.5% extra.

Think of a samosa that costs Rs 20. A 20.5% jump would make it about Rs 24. Not the end of the world for one samosa. But on a phone, the same jump means Rs 17,000, which is many months of pocket money for most students.

Other models went up too. The iPhone Air rose from Rs 1,19,900 to Rs 1,49,900. The iPhone 16 went from Rs 79,900 to Rs 89,900. Even the cheaper iPhone 17e climbed from Rs 64,900 to Rs 79,900.

Animated counter rising to Rs 99,900 with a taller red bar beside the old Rs 82,900 bar — The 256GB iPhone 17 now costs Rs 99,900 in India, up from Rs 82,900 at launch.

Why did Apple raise prices at all?

Usually, old iPhones get cheaper when new ones arrive. Indian buyers love this. They wait for the new launch, then grab last year's phone at a lower price. This year, Apple did the opposite.

ET says Apple raised prices of existing iPhones in India by 20% to 29% because memory chips and other parts became costlier, and because the rupee became weaker. A weaker rupee means India has to pay more rupees for the same parts bought in dollars. It is like your favourite imported chocolate costing more even though the chocolate did not change.

Memory has become very expensive for all phone makers. Counterpoint Research said smartphone memory prices had gone up nearly 4 times since September 2025.

Watch on YouTube

So what are buyers doing?

Many people are simply waiting. Retailers told ET that some shoppers are delaying their purchase. They expect a new iPhone 18 to come out in February at a price similar to the iPhone 17.

Why would that happen? In September, Apple launched only the Pro versions of the iPhone 18, plus a new foldable phone called the iPhone Duo. There was no regular iPhone 18. That makes the iPhone 17 the newest regular iPhone you can buy right now.

Industry experts told ET that the higher price made the iPhone 17 less attractive to price-conscious buyers. "Price-conscious" just means people who check the price tag carefully before buying, like a friend who compares chai prices at three stalls before ordering. Even festive season offers did not pull in many buyers, the experts said.

Some buyers are also moving to refurbished phones (used phones that are checked, repaired and sold again) or older models like the iPhone 16.

What did Apple do about it?

When a shop sells fewer of something, it makes less of it. That is what Apple is doing, as per people aware of the details who spoke to ET. Apple is making fewer iPhone 17 phones meant for India.

But the factories will not sit idle. The extra capacity, meaning the factory lines and workers that are free now, will be used to make phones for export, because demand outside India is still strong. So Apple's total iPhone 17 production should change only a little.

A person quoted by ET said the company keeps adjusting production based on demand, and that it did something similar with the iPhone Air last year. Apple did not reply to ET's question before the story was printed.

Four step cards lighting up: price jumps 20.5%, buyers wait, India orders cut, phones go abroad — How a price jump in India turned into fewer iPhone 17s made for Indian shops.

The surprise: Pro phones are doing well

Here is the twist. While the regular iPhone 17 is struggling, the Pro models are selling well in India. A second executive told ET that demand for the iPhone 17 Pro and the new iPhone 18 Pro is strong.

During festive sales, many buyers are paying Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 more than the base model price to get an iPhone 17 Pro instead. Their thinking is easy to guess: if you are already spending close to Rs 1 lakh, a little more gets you the top model.

The new Pro phones are not cheap either. Business Today reported that the iPhone 18 Pro starts at Rs 1,64,900, which is Rs 30,000 more than the Rs 1,34,900 launch price of the iPhone 17 Pro.

India's iPhone mix, in numbers

In India, about eighty five out of every hundred iPhones sold are regular models, according to ET. That leaves only about 15 Pro phones in every 100.

Analysts now expect the Pro share to touch 20% in the coming months. In cricket terms, it is like a team that always relied on batters suddenly getting more wickets from its bowlers. The overall team is the same, but the balance is shifting.

One retailer warned ET that this Pro rush could be because of big festive discounts on iPhone 17 Pro stock. The real demand for Pro phones will be clearer later.

Three bars: about eighty five regular iPhones, about 15 Pro now, and up to 20 Pro expected soon, out of every 100 — Out of every 100 iPhones sold in India, about 15 are Pro models today. Analysts expect up to 20 soon.

Is India still a big deal for Apple?

Yes. India has been one of Apple's best growth stories. YourStory reported that Apple's India revenue grew over 20% in FY26 to near Rs 1 lakh crore. Counterpoint data in the same report showed iPhone shipments (phones sent to shops) grew 24% to 14 million units in FY26.

But 2026 has been tougher for the whole phone market. Counterpoint said India's smartphone shipments fell 10% in April to June 2026 compared with a year earlier. Apple's iPhone shipments fell 3% in that quarter, and its share of the market was 7%. Counterpoint expects the overall market to shrink 13% this year because of high phone prices.

Watch on YouTube

What this means for young buyers

For a long time, the smart move in India was to wait for the new iPhone launch and then buy the older one cheaply. This year, that trick did not work. Old phones got costlier, not cheaper.

Now buyers have three paths. Pay more and go Pro. Wait and hope February brings something better. Or pick a used, refurbished or older model. Apple, meanwhile, is quietly moving its factory output to wherever people are still buying.

It is a simple business lesson in action. Raise the price, and some customers walk away. Make a better product look like a small step up, and some customers climb higher.

Sources

You may republish this story under CC BY 4.0: credit Manpreet Kaur and link to this page.