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-Robin John
Apple has launched the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in India, and while both phones bring some substantial upgrades, there is one change buyers will notice before anything else: the price.
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at Rs 1,64,900, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at Rs 1,79,900. Compare those numbers with last year’s launch prices, and both phones are now a rather significant Rs 30,000 more expensive than their predecessors.
That’s a considerably bigger jump than Apple’s $100 price increase for the new Pro models in the US, making the Indian pricing particularly difficult to ignore.
iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro Launch Price in India
Apple launched the iPhone 17 Pro at Rs 1,34,900 in India last year, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max started at Rs 1,49,900. Like this year’s models, both phones came with 256GB of storage as standard.
Here’s how the launch prices compare:
| Model | 2025 Launch Price | 2026 Launch Price | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 17 Pro / iPhone 18 Pro | Rs 1,34,900 | Rs 1,64,900 | Rs 30,000 |
| iPhone 17 Pro Max / iPhone 18 Pro Max | Rs 1,49,900 | Rs 1,79,900 | Rs 30,000 |
That works out to an increase of roughly 22% for the iPhone 18 Pro and around 20% for the iPhone 18 Pro Max compared with their respective predecessors.
Apple hasn’t changed the starting storage to soften the blow either. Both iPhone 18 Pro models continue to start at 256GB, with 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB options also available this year. The smaller Pro does at least gain a 2TB configuration, something the iPhone 17 Pro didn’t offer.
Still, anyone simply looking to buy the entry-level Pro is paying Rs 30,000 more for the privilege this year.
What Do You Get for the Extra Rs 30,000?
There are some meaningful upgrades behind that higher price. Both phones are powered by Apple’s new A20 Pro chip, built using a 2nm process. It gets a seven-core GPU that’s up to 40% faster than the A19 Pro, 50% more memory bandwidth, and a new 32-core Neural Engine aimed at on-device AI workloads.
Apple has also completely reworked the thermal system, with a next-generation vapor chamber that’s three times larger than the one inside the iPhone 17 Pro. Apple claims the changes result in up to 40% better sustained performance.
The camera system gets an even more noticeable upgrade. The new 48MP Fusion Main camera introduces variable aperture for the first time on an iPhone, allowing the phone to automatically adjust its aperture depending on lighting and depth of field. Users can also manually choose between four aperture settings.
Battery life has improved too. Apple rates eSIM-only versions of the iPhone 18 Pro for up to 36 hours of video playback, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max stretches that to 45 hours.
Whether those upgrades are enough to justify an extra Rs 30,000 will ultimately depend on what you’re upgrading from. But one thing is clear: buying Apple’s latest Pro iPhone has become considerably more expensive in India this year.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max begin in India on September 12, with both phones going on sale from September 18.
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