Apple¡¯s new iPhones are two things for sure; they¡¯re pretty, and they¡¯re pretty freaking expensive.
Starting at Rs 99,000, you really need to think twice before buying either of them. What¡¯s inside the phones on the other hand, that's a completely different matter.
Reuters
The iPhone XS is priced between Rs 99,900 to Rs 1,34,900, while the iPhone XS Max costs between Rs 1,09,900 to Rs 1,44,900. Notice that even the most basic variant costs close to a lakh. And yet, according to a teardown by Tech Insights, the component costs of the larger iPhone amount to $443. That¡¯s somewhere in the range of Rs 32,200. And that¡¯s not the half of it.?
The OLED display is once more the most expensive part of the phone. Manufactured by Samsung, they obviously sell it to Apple at a profit, who then obviously have to make a profit on iPhone buyers. And while screen prices have gone up slightly thanks to inflation, it¡¯s more likely more expensive because the 6.3-inch display is larger than last year¡¯s 5.8-inch screen, even though the technology is not very different from what¡¯s in the iPhone X.?
Also Read: Instead Of Buying This Year's iPhones, For Same Amount You Can Get A Bike Or Foreign Vacation
The second most expensive component is Apple¡¯s new A12 Bionic processor. However, it¡¯s interesting to note that the price for almost every single iPhone XS Max component has risen from last year¡¯s tag.
Reuters
To be fair, these component prices only take into account the price of the hardware, not other expenses like research and development to build the iPhone XS Max, manufacturing, delivery logistics, and marketing. Not to mention import duties levied at the Indian border.
Then again, irrespective of the price of components, it¡¯s hard to not feel like your getting completely ripped off when you¡¯re spending over a lakh on a phone that¡¯s only a minor improvement over a device launched last year.