Apple's flagship iPhones, which were already quite expensive in India, just got dearer. The company has raised prices of its phones, which appears to be a result of the excise hike on imported phones in Budget 2015.
Following the hike, the entry-level iPhone 6 16GB device will now cost Rs 56,000, compared with Rs 53,500 earlier. The 64Gb and 128 GB models will cost Rs 65,000 and Rs 74,000 respectively.
Prices for the higher-end iPhone 6 Plus will now start at Rs 65,000 for the 16GB model.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had proposed an excise duty hike on imported mobile phones to 12.5 percent from the existing six percent to encourage local manufacturers.
Unlike in the United States, where most customers get the phone at a much lower price because of two-year contracts, Indians have to pay the full price, and then some more because of taxes on imports.
While India is a huge market for low-cost phones, Apple dominates the top-end with a market share of 45 percent, according to a report by CyberMedia Research. HTC has 19 percent share and Samsung 16 percent, says the report, which measured sales of 4G LTE capable devices. All top end models are 4G compatible.
Some online retailers in India, such as Flipkart and Amazon, had cut prices for the new iPhones from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000. Those offers might need a revision. Tata Croma also offers discount on iPhones for customers with a Citibank credit card.
Operators such as Airtel and Vodafone also have special offers on their plans for customers who buy iPhone 6 or 6 Plus from their stores.