iPhone Ultra India Price Could Cross Rs 2.5 Lakh as Apple Enters Foldable Race

Apple’s first foldable iPhone, reportedly called the iPhone Ultra, could become the company’s most expensive smartphone yet. Leaked US pricing suggests the India price may start above Rs 2.5 lakh.

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Apple's new foldable iPhone might become its costliest smartphone till date, and buyers in India must brace themselves for a launch price well above Rs 2 lakh. Though Apple has made no official announcement about the launch of this phone and its name either, iPhone Ultra happens to be the best contender for being named so far. With the rumored pricing turning out to be true, it is this iPhone launch which might make the popular "sell a kidney" joke feel slightly more realistic.

Apple iPhone launches have been predictable for quite some time now, starting with leakages prior to the actual launch and followed by discussions on upgrades and the price tag attached to them. The upcoming launch of Apple's first foldable iPhone could just make things different though. "Ultra" nomenclature will also be a part of Apple's latest strategy of naming its products. The brand already has Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra chip naming and there were reports of MacBook Ultra being launched above the Pro line-up too.

According to leaked retail pricing, the US price of the alleged iPhone Ultra could start at around USD 2,299 for the 256GB model. The 512GB version could cost approximately USD 2,499, while the 1TB variant could reach USD 2,799. These figures have not been confirmed by Apple, but they provide an early indication of just how expensive the foldable could become.

iPhone Ultra India Price

For the Indian consumers, merely converting the price quoted in the US dollars to Indian rupees would not have provided an accurate estimation of the costs. Apple has always quoted its Pro iPhones in India at rates that are much higher compared to the US dollar equivalents. However, the gap has been closing generation after generation.

The iPhone 14 Pro launched at a price tag of USD 999 in the United States, which translates to about Rs 79,800, while it was launched at Rs 1,29,900 in India. The gap was around 63 percent over the bare-bones US dollar calculation. The same price gap continued with the iPhone 15 Pro.

However, things were different for the iPhone 16 Pro as the premium in India fell to about 43 percent. Given the fact that the iPhone 17 Pro costs USD 1,099 in America and Rs 1,34,900 in India, the gap was narrowed to approximately 39 percent over the dollar cost. It shows that Apple is increasingly making its India pricing approach similar to the one in the United States despite a significant premium on the part of India.

Given the shift, application of the previous 60-plus percent premium in calculating the price of iPhone Ultra would lead to unnecessary overestimation. The iPhone Ultra would probably not sell for Rs 4 lakhs at least but would easily cross the Rs 2.5 lakhs threshold.

Samsung Has Already Made Rs 2 Lakh Foldables Normal

Apple would also reap the advantage of the fact that the Indian consumers have been introduced to foldable handsets with extremely high prices. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is priced starting from Rs 1,99,999 in India, while the 1TB model costs Rs 2,59,999. This has created a benchmark in the Rs 2 lakh plus range for premium foldables.

There has been no such kind of competition set up by other players in the market segment. The Google foldable range has not been as successful, and Motorola usually participates in the market with low pricing products. Thus, Samsung becomes an obvious benchmark for Apple’s first foldable.

There is no need for Apple to necessarily convince its customers from India that there can be a foldable phone that costs more than Rs 2 lakh. The task at hand will be that of convincing iPhone users that they should pay more than that for this particular foldable phone. The software experience will definitely be the major selling point as the foldable iPhone will reportedly run iOS.

Long-term users of iPhones watching how the Galaxy Z Folds from Samsung have evolved through various generations will be sold out by the Apple designed foldable with iOS.

Rising Memory Prices

Also, the time at which Apple plans to launch its first foldable phone may not be very favorable for it when it comes to prices. The price of memory chips is rising drastically since producers are now using their chips to develop artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, making DRAM and NAND chips very costly.

According to Counterpoint, the increase in prices of memory could result in the cost of manufacturing top-end smartphones rising by between USD 100 to USD 150, roughly Rs 15,000. Moreover, IDC has indicated that the average selling price of smartphones will continue to increase till 2026, despite the declining shipments, as a result of the memory crunch.

Since the cost of manufacturing a normal phone would already be relatively high, those of a foldable would be even higher owing to flexible displays, hinges, and other components. Consequently, there would be numerous reasons for Apple to transfer part of this increased cost to consumers instead of bearing it by reducing margins.

Estimated iPhone Ultra Price in India

Based on the reported US prices and assuming Apple applies a minimum 30 percent India premium, the estimated Indian pricing could look like this:

Variant	Reported US Price	Straight Conversion	Estimated With 30% Premium
256GB	USD 2,299	Rs 2.17 lakh	Rs 2.82 lakh
512GB	USD 2,499	Rs 2.36 lakh	Rs 3.06 lakh
1TB	USD 2,799	Rs 2.64 lakh	Rs 3.40 lakh

These prices should be considered mere estimates and not any leak on the pricing in India by Apple. In addition, Apple has yet to confirm if the US pricing of the iPhone Ultra will be the same as the device, its capacity or even its name. Apple may also decide to apply a different exchange rate while selling it in India.

Nonetheless, taking into consideration that the pricing of the iPhone Ultra in US is more or less correct, it should cost more than Rs 2.5 lakh. This means that Apple’s new device would come out better than Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra from Samsung and would be way too expensive compared to the current Pro Max models.

The 1TB iPhone Ultra might go close to Rs 3.5 lakh, making it more of an extravagance than flagship phone for most people. Those who don’t really require much storage on their phones will benefit the most if Apple sells it at such prices.

Apple’s first foldable has the potential to become one of the company’s most ambitious iPhone launches in years, but its pricing could prove just as important as its design and specifications. A base price around Rs 2.5 lakh would give Apple a clear separation between the Ultra and Pro Max models while placing it directly in the premium foldable category.

At the same time, pricing the device too aggressively could make even loyal iPhone buyers hesitate. Apple’s new CEO John Ternus will inherit this pricing challenge as one of his early major tests, and the final number could offer an indication of how aggressively Apple wants to establish itself in the foldable market.

The iPhone Ultra is expected to be unveiled on Wednesday, September 9, although reports suggest that production constraints could result in limited availability initially, with the device potentially going on sale weeks or even months after its announcement. Until Apple officially reveals the phone, its name, pricing and launch plans should all be considered unconfirmed.