A number of major smartphone manufacturers, including the Xiaomi, and Apple, increase the cost of their devices in India. The updated price tag is coming into effect all across the country from today, 1st of April, only. If you are assuming the recent development as an April Fool prank, you are certainly wrong.
The Major Reasons for the Recent Price Hike
There are a couple of factors responsible for the recent price hike. The government of India recently increased the GST to 18% from 12%. Therefore, smartphone manufacturers have to pay more, and the recent price increase reflects that. Besides, the gradually weakening Indian currency plays a significant role in the price hike.
Response from Manufacturers
In a press release, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi confirmed the recent price increase. The company claimed that it is running out of options, and the price hike is the only way remaining. The updated prices will be effective from today, Xiaomi confirmed.
The American tech giant Apple increases the price of its already expensive devices. Starting from the 32 GB variant of iPhone 7 to 512 GB iPhone 11 Pro, all the iPhones become expensive by around 5%. The latest generation iPhone 11 saw a price increase of 3,300 INR, and now available at 68,300.
Among others, Oppo also updated the new set of price list for its smartphones. Oppo’s flagship Reno3 Pro became expensive by 2,000, and from now onwards will be available at 31,990 INR.
The Recent Lockdown in India
Though the prices are updated from today, it will be genuinely effective from the 14th of April. The country is currently under complete lockdown, owing to the Coronavirus outbreak. As a result, people cannot visit smartphone stores, and neither orders them from online stores.
