Apple iPhone 6 to cost over Rs 50,000 in India

Apple has unveiled the price of the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, setting to rest the rumours about the amount buyers in India would have to shell out for the new handsets.
 
While the bundled iPhone 6 will start for $199 for the 16GB variant for a two-year contract, the iPhone 6 Plus will be priced higher at $299 for 16GB for the two-year contract period.
 
Apple has updated the US Apple Store with the contract-free prices of both the smartphones. The contract-free iPhone 6 16GB starts at $649, 64GB for $749 and 128GB for $849. The contract-free price of iPhone 6 Plus with the 5.5-inch display costs $749 for 16GB, $849 for 64GB and $949 for 128GB. This year, Apple has discontinued the 32GB variant and has introduced a new 128GB variant.

Looking at the US contract-free prices of the new iPhones and the current exchange rate, the iPhone 6 is likely to cross the Rs 50,000 price barrier and will be launched close to the iPhone 5S launch price. With the current exchange rate close to Rs 61 to a dollar, the actual conversion for iPhone 6 16GB comes close to Rs 40,000. The iPhone 6 Plus 16GB variant is likely to cross the Rs 60,000-mark.

However, this does not include taxes and the currency exchange rate that Apple considers while launching the iPhone in India. While some might crib that there will be a huge difference in the pricing, one should also consider the fact that the 16GB iPhone 6 will cost more in the US as taxes are added at the time of checkout.

Last year, the iPhone 5S 16GB contract-free variant was priced at $649 in the US and was launched in India starting at Rs 53,500.