New Delhi. After the launch of Apple's new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, a change is being seen in the Indian smartphone market which hardly anyone would have expected. Usually, when Apple launches a new iPhone in the market, the price of the old model starts decreasing. Customers also keep waiting that after the arrival of the new model, the previous series will be available at a lower price. But this time the story seems to be completely opposite. After the launch of iPhone 18 Pro, the demand for iPhone 17 has suddenly increased and its stock is not easily available in many places.
The biggest shock is regarding the price of iPhone 17. This phone was earlier available at a starting price of Rs 82 thousand 900 but now Apple has increased its price to Rs 99 thousand 900. That means customers have to directly spend about Rs 17 thousand more. This change by the company to increase the price of the old model is being considered unusual for the market as well.
Despite the increase in price, customer interest in iPhone 17 seems to be increasing instead of decreasing. The price of the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max is quite high. The starting price of iPhone 18 Pro in India has been kept at Rs 1 lakh 64 thousand 900 while the starting price of iPhone 18 Pro Max has been kept at Rs 1 lakh 79 thousand 900. In such a situation, a large number of customers are considering the older but premium iPhone 17 as a more practical option.
This is the reason why there was a sudden increase in online searches for iPhone 17. Along with looking at the price and features of the new model, customers also started looking for the availability and price of the old iPhone. But in many places they got answers contrary to their expectations. Stock of the phone was not seen available on some e-commerce platforms, while customers were seen searching for the phone at many offline shops also.
The picture emerging from the markets of Delhi NCR has made this whole matter more interesting. Some shopkeepers said that iPhone 17 is available but at the new rate. At some places the matter of advance booking came to light and at some places it was claimed that delivery would be received after a few days. At some shops, the old stock was said to be taken back by the company. Some retailers cited limited stock and increased demand in the market as the reason for this.
In some markets, customers also alleged that efforts were being made to sell the phones at higher prices by taking advantage of limited stock. Although such allegations cannot be considered as the situation of the entire market, the price and availability information received from different shops has definitely increased the problems of the customers.
A major reason for this entire situation is also considered to be the high price of iPhone 18 Pro. This time, Apple has mainly introduced Pro models in the September launch, while there have been reports of a different launch timeline for the regular iPhone 18. This has limited the options for those customers who want a new iPhone but do not want to spend around Rs 1.5 to 2 lakh.
Apart from this, Apple has also introduced its first foldable iPhone Duo, the starting price of which in India is Rs 2 lakh 99 thousand 900. In such a situation, the price has increased further in the premium segment.
At present, the increasing demand and limited availability of iPhone 17 has changed the general picture of the market. While customers were expecting cheap old iPhones, they are facing increased prices and stock shortage. In the coming days, as soon as the sale of iPhone 18 Pro starts and the supply normalizes, it will become clear whether the current shortage of iPhone 17 is actually temporary or its demand remains strong for a long time.