Is iPhone 18 Pro cheaper in Dubai than India? The price gap has Indian buyers doing the maths

For some Indian buyers, getting Apple’s latest iPhone 18 Pro models has involved more than simply visiting a local store or waiting for an online sale. Instead, the price difference between India and the UAE has prompted some shoppers to travel to Dubai, where the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are being sold at lower starting prices, according to Gulf News.

The two models went on sale at the Apple Store in Dubai Mall on September 18, drawing launch-day crowds that included Indian shoppers. While UAE residents made up most of the customers, some Indians had travelled to Dubai specifically with the latest iPhones on their shopping lists.

For Mumbai resident Aman Solanki, the savings were enough to justify the additional cost of travelling abroad. He told Gulf News that even after accounting for his flight and visa, purchasing the phone in Dubai would cost less than buying it in India.


“Even with the flight ticket and visa cost, it is still cheaper for me to buy the phone here in Dubai than compared to India where the additional taxes cause it to be very expensive,” Solanki said.

He said the difference for him was around Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 per phone. Solanki was also purchasing two additional iPhone Pro Max models for family members, making the overall price difference a significant factor in his decision to buy in Dubai.

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UAE and India iPhone 18 Pro prices compared

The iPhone 18 Pro starts at Dh5,099 in the UAE, which is approximately Rs 1.33 lakh, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max has a starting price of Dh5,499, or roughly Rs 1.44 lakh, according to the prices cited by Gulf News.

Both models are offered in storage options ranging from 256GB to 2TB.

In India, the starting price of the iPhone 18 Pro is Rs 1,64,900, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at Rs 1,79,900.

Based on the cited exchange rates, the UAE starting price for the iPhone 18 Pro translates to around Rs 1.32 lakh, putting it roughly Rs 33,000 below the Indian starting price. The Pro Max, meanwhile, converts to approximately Rs 1.42 lakh, creating a difference of about Rs 38,000.

For buyers purchasing multiple devices, the gap between the two markets can add up considerably.

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Indian buyers compare prices before purchasing

Kerala resident Mohammed Sayed was another Indian shopper who found the UAE pricing attractive after comparing it with the Indian market.

Sayed was already in Dubai to visit his family, but the price difference influenced him to purchase the new iPhone there rather than wait to buy it in India.

“I actually came to visit my family here too but decided to buy the phone here after comparing the cost between UAE and India. For me I’m saving around Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 for the new iPhone. The taxes really increase the price,” he told Gulf News.

For these buyers, the launch-day trip to an Apple Store in Dubai was therefore about more than being among the first to own the latest iPhone. The difference in prices between the UAE and India became part of the buying decision, with some shoppers calculating whether the savings could outweigh the cost and effort of travelling to Dubai.

In other words, for a section of Indian iPhone buyers, the latest upgrade began not with choosing a storage option or colour, but with choosing the country from which to buy the phone.