Market analysts are expecting Apple’s fifteenth generation iPhones to do well in India. “With dynamic island, USB-C, and 48MP main camera, the non-Pro versions of iPhone is a significant upgrade compared to last year, and buyers might tip more towards the non pro versions,” said Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint.
Apple on Tuesday launched four variants of its latest iPhone. iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are its base models. And iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are pro variants.
“With 15 base model, they [Apple] have brought in lots of good features that should excite people ideally looking to buy,” said Faisal Kawoosa, Founder at Techarc.
Apple iPhone 15 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangements
A generation gap in chipset differentiates the base and pro models. While the former ship with A16 Bionic, launched last year, the Pro models come with a new A17 Pro processor.
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“The non-Pro models are a good upgrade compared to iPhone 14 models. They should do well,” said Navkendar Singh, Associate Vice President, IDC India.
Upgrading the vanilla models, the Cupertino-based company incorporated dynamic island (introduced last year to Pro variants only) to iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. It also ramped up the main lens power from 12MP to 48MP in these two phones. USB-C is now common across the iPhone 15 series.
“The iPhone 15 base model, with all its upgrades, is the most compelling base variant from Apple in a long time,” said Prabhu Ram, Head, IIG, CyberMedia.
Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus sell at ₹79,900 and ₹89,900, respectively, with 128GB as starting variant.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro models feature a new 3nm A17 Pro SoC and a new Action Button instead of toggle. Designed using Titanium, the Pro models start at ₹1,34,900 for the 128GB model.
Analysts feel that the Pro models are expensive but it will help Apple in their average selling price as well as margins.
“Apple iPhone 15 Pro models are expensive. iPhone 15 Pro Max will find niche demand. The Pro should get some upgrades from iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 series,” added Mr. Singh.
Agreeing to what Mr. Singh said, Mr. Kawoosa reiterated, “People who want to stand out will buy Pro.”
Apple’s newest iPhone processor, A17 Pro, supports ray tracing and USB 3 support. Apple iPhone Pro and Pro Max use a 48MP main camera, a 12MP telephoto sensor and a 12MP ultrawide lens. The selfie camera is of 12MP.
It also announced spatial video in the Pro series where users can record 3D videos. “Apple iPhone 15 Pro models narrows competition in camera and pro-grade gaming. The spatial videos set the stage for the future of Apple Vision Pro, especially in terms of reliving personal memories,” added Mr. Ram.
Recently, a Techarc survey revealed that 63% of the respondents wanted to buy an earlier version of iPhone – iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 after the launch of iPhone 15 in India.
CyberMedia sees older generation iPhones to propel Apple’s growth in India.
Similarly, Counterpoint said, “Apple is likely to exit 2023 with 5% market share and over 9 million shipments. Base model to remain popular and likely to contribute to half of the mix as there is a significant upgrade for someone shifting from previous generation iPhones.”
