Apple iPhone 17 Price Hike: Can It Justify The Features?
The iPhone 17 price for the base model could be around Rs 10,000 higher than its predecessor.
Apple’s iPhone 17 series is generating massive buzz for various reasons, including tech upgrades, new colourway, bigger camera module for Pro models, the lightweight iPhone 17 Air, and more.
While there are several upgrades tipped for Pro variants, and the iPhone 17 Air is grabbing eyeballs for its thin form, what enhancements is the iPhone 17 base model expected to get in exchange for the likely price hike?
iPhone 17 Price Hike Inevitable
Let’s look at pricing first.
Earlier estimates from Morgan Stanley suggest that Apple could increase iPhone prices by 4% to 6% to mitigate the impact of Trump tariffs. Also, Apple reportedly plans to raise iPhone prices regardless of tariffs, due to increased design expenses and enhanced features.
This means the iPhone 17 price (base model) could be around Rs 10,000 higher than its predecessor. The iPhone 16 launched at Rs 79,900, while the iPhone 17 price in India might be around Rs 89,900.
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Expected iPhone 17 Features And Upgrades
While a roughly 10K hike on the base iPhone model is substantial by any standard, the iPhone 17 may get some feature enhancements.
Case maker Spigen’s brief listing on Amazon that its screen guard is compatible with iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 17 alike hints that the base model is getting a 6.3-inch display (the same as 16 Pro). This means an upgrade from the 6.1-inch iPhone 16 display.
For the base model, Apple is also looking at a new colour option. As per tipster Majin Bu, out of green and purple test variants, Apple might choose purple.
The base iPhone 17 might get the A19 chip, although Apple could continue with the older A18. Whether an upgraded 12GB RAM (instead of 8GB) will be part of the base model is also uncertain.
The base model is expected to feature the same wide and ultrawide cameras, but there are rumours of an upgraded 24MP selfie shooter. The phone may also support Qi 2.2 wireless charging.
Much of this is speculation though, and only Apple’s September launch of the iPhone 17 will clear the air over its pricing, and whether it justifies its features.
