Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro price jump puts focus on iPhone 17 Pro discounting

Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro is priced from ₹164,900 for 256GB, versus the iPhone 17 Pro’s ₹134,900 launch price. As the new model raises the premium-price bar, Croma is promoting the older iPhone 17 Pro at ₹69,990 with a ₹12,000 exchange bonus.

— Source publishedWed, 16 Sept, 2026, 09:00 IST·First seen Wed, 16 Sept, 2026, 09:25 IST·Source Business Today · Latest

What happened

Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro launches in India at ₹164,900 for 256GB, a sharp increase over the iPhone 17 Pro’s ₹134,900 launch price. Older models are being

Key facts

  • iPhone 18 Pro starting price: ₹164,900 for 256GB
  • iPhone 17 Pro launch price: ₹134,900 for 256GB
  • iPhone 17 Pro Croma offer price: ₹69,990 with ₹12,000 exchange bonus
  • iPhone 18 Pro effective price referenced: around ₹70,000
  • iPhone 18 Pro display: 6.3 inches
  • iPhone 18 Pro weight: 211g; iPhone 17 Pro: 204g
  • A20 Pro claimed up to 40% faster
  • iPhone 18 Pro battery claim: up to 43 hours; iPhone 17 Pro: up to 37 hours

Why this matters

The exchange-led iPhone 17 Pro offer highlights strategic value in trade-in, refurbishing and financing partnerships that can offset sticker shock on increasingly expensive flagship devices.

What to watch

  • Sustained iPhone 17 Pro effective pricing below ₹80,000 after exchange, indicating aggressive channel inventory clearance.
  • Changes in iPhone 18 Pro delivery times or stock-outs, which would indicate whether the higher price is constraining demand.
  • Growth in EMI tenure, bank-funded cashback and trade-in bonus values across Apple retailers during the next promotional period.
  • iPhone 17 Pro inventory availability at Croma, Reliance Digital, Vijay Sales and Amazon/Flipkart.
  • Discounting response from Samsung Galaxy S-series, Google Pixel and OnePlus flagship devices.
  • Apple India trade-in values for iPhone 15/16 Pro devices, which determine the affordability of iPhone 18 Pro upgrades.
  • Expand exchange bonuses on iPhone 17 Pro and tightly control eligibility to protect advertised price integrity.
  • Bundle iPhone 17 Pro with bank cashback, no-cost EMI, AppleCare and accessories to improve gross profit while maintaining a low effective handset price.
  • Use iPhone 18 Pro as a premium anchor in stores and digital comparison pages, positioning iPhone 17 Pro as the high-value Pro upgrade.
  • Increase trade-in acquisition efforts for older iPhones, creating a supply pipeline for refurbished-device sales and improving upgrade affordability.
  • Competing Android premium brands may widen festival-period cashback and upgrade offers to target consumers priced out of the new iPhone Pro tier.