$2,000 for a 60Hz iPhone? The Shocking Reality of iPhone Prices in Some Countries

Hotstar in UAE
Hotstar in UAE

Ever wondered how much a phone costs in other countries? Well the good folks over at Nukeni have put together a list of prices, converted to US Dollars, for about 34 countries, across each model of the iPhone 16 and storage variant.

When looking at this list, one thing really stands out to me, the US, China and Japan are the cheapest for most models. With Hong Kong jumping in for some models.

The iPhone 16 costs $829 for the unlocked model in the US – carrier models are $799. China will be paying $843 for that model, and Japan at $872. Most of Europe is paying over $1,000 for this same iPhone. While in Turkey, they are paying $1,909 for an iPhone with a 60Hz display. That’s incredible, and not in a good way.

For iPhone 16 Plus, the US is paying $929 for the unlocked model – again, carrier models are $899. Japan comes in second at $977 and China at $983. And Turkey once again gets shafted with a price of $2,173, for another 60Hz iPhone.

Moving over to the iPhone 16 Pro, the US pays $999 for the 128GB model, while Hong Kong pays $1,103. In the US, the highest-taxed regions with tax included have a price of $1,114. Everyone else is higher than that. Turkey is the most expensive again, at $2,437.

Then there’s the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which is $1,199 in the US. In Hong Kong, it’s $1,308, and in Japan, it’s $1,308 and $1,327. Turkey will be paying  $2,936 or up to $3,523 for the 1TB model.

Why do these prices differ so much around the world?

One reason prices differ so much is taxes. In Europe, taxes are generally included in the price. It also comes down to tariffs and how much it costs to import iPhones into these different regions. Europe is generally right in the middle of the pack because of VAT, and things are naturally more expensive there.

Finally, for the US, Apple has pretty much kept the same prices for the past 7 years – since launching the iPhone X. The only price increase we’ve actually seen has been the Pro Max model last year, which was technically not a price increase, as it was simply eliminating the 128GB model, and only raising the entry price by offering 256GB.

Apple does also typically raise prices quite consistently in other parts of the world. But the US and China are their two biggest and most important markets. So prices rarely increase in those two areas.

2024-09-10 15:05:47