Huge iPhone air price drop dominates “Black Friday Buzz” while India’s device market softens

The focus in India(BHARAT) leading up to the big shopping holidays hasn’t been the usual scarcity of high discounts. It’s the anomaly of huge price cuts at a time when the device market isn’t growing volumes. Apple’s ultra-thin iPhone Air model has stolen the limelight, having seen its prices slashed for Black Friday/pre-holiday sale this year. The device has been observed being sold at a starting price of about ₹54,900, which is a significant discount from its MRP.

A discount of this size could seem like a gift to many customers, and that may be true. But it also serves as a bellwether that the smartphone market in India(BHARAT) is cooling. Volumes, especially at the higher end, aren’t growing. The deep discounts are less a boon for customers and more a sign that manufacturers are working hard to reduce stock and spur purchases.

The ₹54,900 iPhone Air is a bold move, since Apple isn’t known for big discounts so early after launch. A report also says that other iPhone models, such as the iPhone 13, are available for as low as ₹39,900.

A product with flagship-level hardware, but with discount-level pricing. A deal market that’s holding back, despite big-ticket technology.

Why is this all happening? A variety of factors are contributing to the phenomenon. The first is the cost-of-living inflationary pressures affecting the consumer economy in India(BHARAT), which are leading to a wait-and-see approach for big-ticket items such as electronics. Second, smartphone upgrades are getting smaller (literally), so marginal improvements to internals are no longer delivering buzz-worthy reasons to upgrade for many smartphone users. Third, the shift in global supply-chains and the surge in the second-hand economy is also providing an alternative that is more elastic than traditional new-device purchases.

The key thing for Apple here is that it’s playing the same game as other device manufacturers. It’s usually fairly conservative with pricing, and it’s usually able to charge a significant premium for its hardware. It joined the Black Friday season of stacking bank offers and large discounts, which is an indication that the brand has decided to adjust its premium smartphone pricing strategy in India(BHARAT).

The moral for consumers? If you’re looking for an easy way into the Apple ecosystem, this sale is one of the more accessible ones of late. For the industry, it’s a signal that premium-device growth is not a given, and that manufacturers will have to be more flexible and promotional to secure volumes in the future.

The story of this sale says as much about the current state of the market in India(BHARAT) as much as it does the iPhone Air being a hot product. The handset’s price drop is a symptom of an evolving smartphone market in the country – a market in which discounts have started to preempt demand.