Apple iPhone 12 may be priced at least $50 (roughly Rs. 3,700) higher than the iPhone 11 despite not having a charger or EarPods in the retail box, suggests analyst Jeff Pu. The analyst claims that the increased cost may be because of the upcoming iPhone’s 5G support and OLED screen. In the past few weeks, several reports have suggested that the upcoming iPhone series may ship without a bundled charger and EarPods. Pu’s latest analysis, as well as a recent Apple customer survey, further supports the rumours.
In a report, MacRumors shared a research note by analyst Jeff Pu that says that the 5.4-inch model of the upcoming iPhone 12 will start at $749 (roughly Rs. 56,300). This is at least $50 more than the price of iPhone 11’s base model of the same size, sold at $699 (roughly Rs. 52,500) upon launch.
Pu claims that the primary reason for the hike is Apple’s support for 5G and OLED display’s inclusion on iPhone 12. Among the Apple’s current iPhone lineup, iPhone 11 comes with an LCD screen, whereas iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max carry OLED screens. Pu ruminated that the price would be “accepted by consumers” due to 5G. Pu also believes that Apple might not see a dip in demand due to this.
Based on the analysis, the MacRumors report also suggested that the 6.1-inch version of the iPhone 12 might begin at $799 (roughly Rs. 60,000) or $849 (roughly Rs, 63,800), nearly a hike of $150 (roughly Rs. 11,200) when compared to an iPhone 11 of the same size. Earlier in April, MacRumors had reported, citing tipster Job Prosser, that iPhone 12 pricing may range from $649 (roughly Rs. 48,700) to $1,099 (Rs. 82,600), depending on the model.
In June, a report suggested that the iPhone 12 won’t come bundled with EarPods or a wall charger, possibly as a strategic move to boost the sales of AirPods. Earlier this month, Apple conducted a customer survey where it asked iPhone users several questions about how the charging adapters, which come bundled with current iPhone models, were being used. This further roused speculation that the upcoming generation of iPhone may come without a charger in the box.
There is no word on whether the presence of 5G will impact the price of iPhone 12 Pro or iPhone 12 Pro Max model as their predecessors already include OLED panels. Apple is expected to release the iPhone 12 this autumn. However, no date has yet been revealed.
WWDC 2020 had a lot of exciting announcements from Apple, but which are the best iOS 14 features for India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.