When Apple revealed the iPhone Duo – it’s first foldable device – everyone was amazed and then they discovered the price which for Australians starts at $3,499.
The question we were being asked by our readers and listeners – “Why is it so expensive for Australian customers and other customers outside the US?”.
It turns out the iPhone Duo is going to be even more expensive for other countries than it will be in Australia.
The starting price for US customers is $US1,999.
Now we understand the US pricing does NOT include sales tax which would be a maximum of 10 per cent depending on which state you buy the device.
And the Australian price IS inclusive of a 10 per cent GST.
iPhone Duo
| Storage | US Price (USD) | Australian Price (AUD) |
| 256 GB | $1,999 | A$3,499 |
| 512 GB | $2,199 | A$3,899 |
| 1 TB | $2,599 | A$4,699 |
| 2 TB | $3,199 | A$5,899 |
But even when you do the straight conversion from the US price with the added sales tax v Australian price the result is still hundreds of dollars lower than the Australia RRP.
The Australian price of $3,499 is equivalent to $US2,500 – a 22 per cent price increase.
The AUD v USD conversion rate at the time of writing is 0.7147 which means 1 Australian dollar can buy 71.47 US cents.
The rate was 0.688 on June 30. The lowest rate this year was on January 1 when it was 0.66. The exchange rate was at its highest on May 14 when it hit 0.725.
So apart from the June dip when Apple was working out pricing our exchange rate has been quite high.
So let’s do the math – we calculated the US price (including the maximum 10 per cent sales tax) and did the conversion with exchange rate at an average of 0.70.
So $US1999 plus $US199 sales tax equals $US2198. Converting $US2198 to AUD at the rate of 0.70 works out at $AUD3,140.
That means the starting price is $AUD359 dollars higher at $AUD3,499.
And it’s the same story around the world.
In Canada $CAD2,999 Canadian – works out at $US2,160 while in Germany/Eurozone will be paying €2,299 which is $US2,500.
In Taiwan the price is $74,900 Taiwanese dollars which converts to $US2,360 and the £1999 price in the UK works out at $US2,700.
If you’re in India and want the iPhone Duo it will cost 299,900 rupees – or $US3,500.
But the most expensive place on Earth to buy the new foldable iPhone will be Turkey where it will cost the equivalent in its local current to $US4,741. That’s a 137 per cent price difference.
| Country | Local Price | Approx. USD Equivalent |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $1,999 | $1,999 |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | A$3,499 | $2,500+ |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | £1,999 | $2,600+ |
| 🇩🇪 🇪🇺 Germany / Eurozone | €2,299 | $2,500+ |
| 🇦🇪 UAE | AED 8,499 | $2,314 |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | JPY 364,800 | $2,400+ |
| 🇨🇳 China | CNY 15,999 | $2,200+ |
| 🇮🇳 India | Rs. 2,99,900 | $3,500+ |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | Up to ~$4,741 USD equivalent | $4,741 |
We understand there are import costs and duties and various other fees to take the product around the world but it seems Apple has built in a lot of wiggle room and will still make a solid profit.
These prices also take into account the elevated price of memory and storage which Apple stated earlier this year would be passed on to customers.
But these prices pressures and other costs apply to other companies as well but the pricing of their products are a lot more affordable to Australians.
Let’s compare like for like with a similar product.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is priced at $US1,899. The Australian pricing is $2,699.
The Samsung starting US price of $US1,899 is $US100 cheaper than the iPhone Duo at $US1,999 but it managed to be $AUD800 cheaper in Australia.
That’s $AUD2,699 (Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8) v $AUD3,499 (iPhone Duo).
