Apple is not known for its generosity when it comes to slashing down the prices of its devices, significantly. However, in a first for the Cupertino giant, we are witnessing a price cut of 22% by Apple for its iPhone XR. This indicates that Apple has now accepted the rising competition in the Indian smartphone market. The Apple iPhone XR now starts at INR 59,900 in India. Let’s check out more details about the price drop and what’s Apple strategy here.
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Apple iPhone XR Gets Price Cut in India, Additional Offer For HDFC Cards
Starting April 5, 2019, Apple iPhone XR 64GB will be available at INR 59,900 coming down from its MRP of INR 76,900. The Apple iPhone XR 128GB and 256GB models will retail at INR 64,900 and INR 74,900, respectively. Under the special offer for HDFC credit and debit card holders, they will be entitled to an additional discount of 10%. So, for HDFC card holders, the pricing comes down to INR 53,900 for iPhone XR 64GB, INR 58,400 for iPhone XR 128GB, and INR 67,400 for iPhone XR 256GB.
After the discount, the iPhone XR price in India matches its pricing in the US market or even cheaper than the user after incurring taxes. The discounted pricing pits Apple iPhone XR against Samsung’s latest Galaxy S10e, which retails at INR 55,900 in India. The updated pricing also makes Apple iPhone XR compete with the OnePlus 6T, which is priced way lower than the XR but it would be convincing enough for the buyers who are torn between Android and iOS.
Apple Follows MOP Strategy in India To Rival Samsung and Others
To recall, in September 2018, Apple increased the pricing of its iPhones in India citing the rupee depreciation against the dollar and also 20 % rise in import duties as the iPhones were not manufactured in India. Even though Apple has slashed the pricing of its iPhone XR, it will not be making a permanent change to its MRP. The Cupertino giant is adopting MOP (Market Operating Price) strategy to trump its competitors including Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo, and others. Samsung and others in India are already following the same MOP strategy. Usually, Apple makes the permanent price cut when it brings out new smartphones to India, around September month of every year.
Although the post-discount pricing of the iPhone XR is quite heavy on a regular buyer’s pocket in India, it is still a foot forward by Apple considering it managed to sell older iPhones at higher pricing all these years. The iPhone XR is a budget (not by market standard, of course) offering by Apple; you can check out our detailed review here. Also, check out our video below and subscribe to our YouTube channel to get notified whenever we upload fresh content about the latest smartphones in India.
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