iPhone 18 Pro Starts at Rs 1,23,346 in US, Undercutting India by Over Rs 41,000

Q: Do hidden taxes make Apple's AI-powered iPhone 18 Pro an untouchable luxury symbol in India rather than a mass-market tool?

Yes. Taxes and duties appear to be a major reason the iPhone 18 Pro risks becoming a luxury purchase in India, though they are not the only factor. The price gap is stark. Apple lists the iPhone 18 Pro at Rs 1,64,900 in India versus about Rs 1,23,346 in the US and roughly Rs 1,24,090 in Japan. The iPhone 18 Pro Max is Rs 1,79,900 in India against about Rs 1,33,634 in the US. Even allowing for the fact that US sticker prices exclude local sales tax, India remains materially more expensive. The available evidence points to import duties, GST and regional pricing policies as the main drivers of that premium. These are not exactly “hidden” at checkout in India because taxes are generally embedded in the listed retail price, but they are often invisible in cross-country comparisons because US prices are usually shown before tax while Indian prices are shown after tax. That can blur how much of the gap comes from taxation versus Apple’s own pricing choices, currency hedging and supply-chain costs. The result is clear: for many Indian buyers, the AI-powered Pro models sit far above mass-market affordability. Apple is trying to soften that with trade-ins, EMI plans and financing, but those tools mainly spread out the cost; they do not remove the premium. So the iPhone 18 Pro in India looks less like a broad consumer AI device and more like an aspirational flagship, at least until local manufacturing, lower duties or more aggressive pricing narrow the gap.

3 articles · Updated · The Times of India · Sep 11

India lists the iPhone 18 Pro at Rs 1,64,900 and the Pro Max at Rs 1,79,900, making both models costlier there than in several other markets.
The United States shows the biggest gap in the data: the iPhone 18 Pro is priced at Rs 1,23,346 and the Pro Max at Rs 1,33,634—about Rs 41,554 and Rs 46,266 below India, respectively.
Japan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE also undercut India on the Pro line, with the iPhone 18 Pro ranging from Rs 1,24,090 to Rs 1,26,900 and the Pro Max from Rs 1,34,708 to Rs 1,36,855.
Singapore and Canada remain cheaper than India as well, with the Pro at Rs 1,31,295 in Singapore and the Pro Max at Rs 1,45,123 in Singapore and Rs 1,48,044 in Canada.