Apple to bring iPhone 13 lineup in India on September 24, prices start from ₹69,900

Apple’s latest line-up of iPhones, including iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 Pro Max, will be available in India from September 24 with prices starting at ₹69,900.

Industry watchers said Apple now has a very aggressive entry point starting with iPhone SE 2020 going till iPhone 13 Pro Max that will help it bolster its position in India, which is among the world’s biggest smartphone markets.

Apple said these devices will be available from September 24 for customers in India and many other countries, including Japan and the U.S.

"Our Pro lineup pushes the limits with our most advanced technologies for users who want the very best iPhone. Best in class performance, best in class camera experience, great durability, larger displays and incredible design. This year, we build on that in a major way," Apple CEO Tim Cook said during the launch event on late September 14 night.

iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max also include 5G with more bands for better coverage.

According to Counterpoint Research Director Tarun Pathak, Apple now has a very aggressive entry point, starting with iPhone SE 2020, going till iPhone 13 Pro Max.

"However, we believe that it’s the iPhone 12 series that is likely to gain traction in India and take on the baton from iPhone 11 that until last quarter captured around 60% of the overall iPhone sales. Apple is likely to capture a 2.4% share in the coming Q4 2021 and will end the year as its highest ever crossing 4 million shipments," he added.

Apple continues to go aggressive on trade-ins as well, he said.

"We think that iPhone 12 too will benefit from the price cut the most, even better than iPhone 11, and is likely to be the best seller for the festive season. This will also help the premium to reach a record share of the overall smartphone market in India with Apple likely to lead in the launch quarter," Mr. Pathak said.

Prabhu Ram, Head (Industry Intelligence Group) at CMR, said India has been a major growth market for Apple.

"In FY21, our estimates pointed to Apple’s India revenue touching $3 billion-plus. With its increased share of domestic manufacturing, aggressive marketing initiatives, including the online retail store foray, Apple is now best-placed to build on the enduring aspirational appeal of the iPhones amongst Indian consumers," he said.

He further noted that Apple is expected to grow over 40% year-on-year, helping it achieve close to 3% market share in 2021 and Apple’s iPhone shipments can potentially touch the 5-million mark for the entire year.

Strong double-digit growth in markets like India and Latin America had helped the iPhone maker report double-digit revenue growth at $81.4 billion – a new record for the June quarter. The company does not provide country-specific numbers.

Apple, which competes with players like Samsung and OnePlus in the premium smartphone segment, has been aggressively ramping up its presence in the Indian market. Apple has talked about plans of setting up brick-and-mortar outlets in India in addition to its online store.

According to Counterpoint, the premium smartphone market in India grew 122% year-on-year in June 2021 quarter and captured 7% of the total smartphone market. The overall smartphone shipment in India grew by 82% to over 33 million units in the June 2021 quarter.

Apple had witnessed 144% year-on-year growth in the second quarter of 2021, leading the ultra-premium segment (over 45,000 or $650) with over 49% share.

The premium category (more than ₹30,000 or $400) overall was led by OnePlus with 34% share, followed by Apple (25%), Samsung (13%), Vivo (12%) and Xiaomi (7%) in the second quarter.

According to Apple India’s website, iPhone 13 mini will be priced between ₹69,900-₹99,900; iPhone 13 ₹79,900-1,09,900; iPhone 13 Pro ₹1,19,900-1,69,900; and iPhone 13 Pro Max at Rs 1,29,900-1,79,900.

Apple senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak said the new pro camera system offers even more pro photography capabilities like improved telephoto zoom, macro photography, photographic styles, cinematic mode, as well as ProRes and Dolby vision video.

"The Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion is our best display ever; it intelligently responds to the content on your screen, offers fantastic graphics performance, and is perfect for any viewing experience,” he added.

Apple has also introduced the new iPad (9th generation), featuring an A13 Bionic chip, featuring a 10.2-inch Retina display with True Tone, a 12MP ultra-wide front camera with centre stage, support for Apple Pencil (1st generation) and Smart Keyboard, iPad OS 15, and twice the storage of the previous generation (starts with 64GB of storage). It will be priced at ₹30,900 onwards and will be available from September 24.

A new iPad mini – with an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display – will be available from September 24 and priced at ₹46,900 onwards.

Apple Watch Series 7, featuring a re-engineered Always-On Retina display – will be available later this year.

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