Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus to launch in India on October 7, price starts at Rs 60,000

You might not have realised it, but Apple iPhones have just become cheaper. The Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available for sale in India on October 7 at a starting price of Rs 60,000 for the 32GB iPhone model. This is significant as the iPhone 6s 16GB had an India launch price of Rs 62,000. Now, you are getting more storage for a lower price. An Apple press note confirmed India will be in the second batch of countries, which will get the newly announced iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. This is also the first time they’ve confirmed the India pricing at the launch event itself. Like with the iPhone SE, Apple has been quick to announce the price, thus putting an end to unnecessary speculation.

The importance of India for Apple has been evident for some time, especially since the going has been tough in China. This price should go a long way in helping Apple corner more of the high-end segment in India. Also, helping them is the fact that rival Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 has been off to a rocky start with the battery issues. This might give Apple iPhone 7 series, as well as the older 6s series which now comes with 32GB standard, an edge in the festival season. Apple CEO Tim Cook visited the country this year, first ever by a CEO of the company, and has also spoken about how they are seeing increased growth in India. Reports have also claimed Apple could soon open its official retail stores in India.

Apple says the pricing will start at Rs 60,000, and the new jet black finish will be offered exclusively on the 128GB and 256GB models from Apple Authorised Resellers and select carriers only. The jet black was the most sought after model at the hands-on area, a good indication that this will be more popular than the rose gold that debuted last time. There is another all black model, which has a more matte finish.

Apple also confirmed prices for the new accessories. The wireless AirPods including charging case will be available for Rs 15,400 beginning in late October. All iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models will include EarPods with Lightning Connector and a Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter. Apple will sell these separately as well at Rs 2,500 and Rs 900, respectively

Apple-designed accessories including leather and silicone cases in a range of colours will be available starting at Rs 2,900 and iPhone 7 Smart Battery Case will be offered in black and white for Rs 8,900. Lightning Docks will start at Rs 3,700.

Apple has not given a complete pricing for the entire range. Given the improved camera, especially with the Plus, a lot of people will be looking at the 128GB mode as a real option and it will be interesting to what the final price for these phones will be in India. We will need to wait to figure out what the price of the iPhone 7 Plus will be.

Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus come with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch Retina HD displays respectively. But Apple has added two new colours: A glossy black and a plain black. The Home button has been redesigned and now supports Force Touch.

Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus run the A10 Fusion chipset, which is a quad-core 64-bit chip, and the company claims it will allow console-level gaming. Apple says the new chip also offers improved battery life, and lowers overall power consumption. On the battery front, Apple is offering more battery life compared to previous generation devices, though it didn’t give a number on the battery size.

The other big change to the iPhone 7 series is the camera. Apple improves the camera in the iPhone with the 12MP sensor, which gets a bigger ƒ/1.8 aperture, and a better 6-element lens for low-light photography. It also gets OIS, something which was exclusive to the iPhone 6s Plus.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus gets a 12-megapixel wide angle camera and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera that together to offer optical zoom at two times and up to 10 times digital zoom for photos. Apple will push the zoom feature as a separate software update. Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus go on sale on September 16 in US and other countries, although pre-orders open from September 9.