iPhone @ Rs. 31K?..Comparison with HTC Touch Diamond
The news is already out that iPhone will be priced for Rs. 31K!
- 8 GB version of the 3G iPhone will cost Rs 31,000
- 16 GB version will cost between Rs 36,000-37,000.[ToI] - Thanks Lokajit for the tip
Though the reports aren’t yet confirmed, it’s quite difficult to digest the fact that iPhone is priced for ~740$! (3.75 times the price in US?)
The price slash in US was primarily attributed to the fact that operators are taking a hit – Apple sells the handset to them @ $300 and operators subsidize the price so that they can milk the users later (data plan).
But Indian operators do not have any reason to subsidize the price – so here is the dope, a serious suggestion.
Go for HTC Touch Diamond. Here is the comparison:
HTC iPhone Comparison
- OS: HTC runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS, iPhone on Mac OS.
- Keypad - iPhone sucks, while HTC scores an edge.
- Camera – iPhone sucks (2 MP), again HTC scores an edge (3.2MP).
- Bluetooth - HTC scores again.
- Screen size – iPhone scores (3.5in) while HTC is @ 2.8in
- Pricing - HTC @ Rs. 26K (in partnership with Airtel), while iPhone @ Rs. 31K.
What’s your opinion?
Recommended Read: Price of 3G phones in India, iPhone Review : The good and the bad
About the author - Ashish Sinha is a Startup Mentor/Product Strategy Coach, and the founder/chief editor of pluGGd.in.
He has launched/managed couple of products (consumer as well as enterprise) in US and India, and now consults with startups/small businesses on their product/media strategy. He can be reached at: ashish (at) pluGGd.in [+91 98452 06443]
here is my reaction
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5oGaZIKYvo
I don’t think so many of us would bought it. They are forcing us to take the unlock iPhones. I am now waiting for the official statements. As in I am still hoping something in the range of 20K.
I think buying any phone for more than 20,000rs is crazy.
You can buy a whole damn computer for that much!
* Browser: HTC Sucks, iPhone is a winner all over the world
* Navigation: HTC Sucks, iPhone is a winner
* Speed: Any windews mobile sucks, iPhone is the best
* iPod: HTC??
* Keypad – I can type as fast as anybody in iPhone
* Games: HTC sucks, iPhone is a gaming toy
* Touchscreen: HTC cleary sucks, just touch the iPhone
Stocks, Maps, Youtube, Weather, Notes…iPhone is the best phone I have seen. I feel 31k is higher but still it is much better than any other phone in that or any nearby range.
@Abhishek,
1.the opera 9.5 browser used by htc is as good as the safari browser of the i phone
2.touch sensitivity of the i phone is a lil better but htc has 3 types of keypads and also letter recognition which i phone dusnt hav cuz a stylus is not included
3. transfer of files thru bluetooth is possible with htc , i phone dusnt hav that feature
4.htc has a 3.2 mp camera while i phone has 2 mp . i phone also dusnt hav a video camera
5.an ipod is jus a music player u idiot ,and the music interface of htc is much more user friendly.
6.message forwarding is a basic feature which even the 1500 bux nokia fone has , but i phone dusnt
7.and yes , games can be downloaded frm a lot of websites…plz dunt say stuf which makes u look like a fool.
8. other than a top class browser and excellent touch interface , the i phone has come short of matching the other features of the htc diamond. i hav both the fones..i know which one is better in which aspect
@nikhil,
hey i completely agree with nikhil.i hav a Iphone and its a waste of money.i mean i cant forwars sms’s,no bluetooth,NO VIDEO RECORDING and the safari browser is way slower than opera 9.5. Hey abhishek dont talk rubbish.Why don’t you go buy the fone and then talk.I regret buying the I phone
@nikhil, atleast the HTC is worth wat we spend.I mean is complete crap!it may have gud luks n the user interface is quiet gud but thats all!!i mean i got the iphone fr my bday and i prefer using my moto V3i cuz it has atleast basic facilities.
@ashvin, i meant the iphone is crap
I have been using HTC 20B MDA III (T Mobile) for a long long time. Now I want to upgrade. I know I cannot use any phone other than HTC, becos of its Windows OS, Excel,the elaborate contact fields,and input options like letter recoganizer which I use with ease with my finger. To top it all the large Screen size.
Please advise which HTC phone will suit me the best.
@Abhishek,
o and bdw , htc is also a youtube client and has a better youtube interface than that on the iphone.
@Abhishek,
and there is no voice recorder, plus htc has windows office, i phone dosent hav any such thing , content from ur comp can only be uploaded through i tunes onto the i phone..
This is crazy.Why would an average Indian user Shell out 31k!!! for a phone no matter how much buzz the brand creates.
Ashish, I appreciate your comparision with US price. This shows how MNC’s setting up business in India are exploiting our policies on Import restrcitions.
Yes,that statement is rude to quote,but let me also quote if anyone remember reliance infocomm with a plan for 24k for phone where they charged 13k for just instrument alone.Later 8 months down the line they sold same instrument for mere 500/- upfront payment.
I think the issue is just not with iphone,its across many electronic goods(LCD TV,Laptops ).A high end dell laptop you can get in US for a deal of $650(approx 27k).The same is sold at 54-55K in India!!! And guess what our policies are so outdated that i can’t bring more than one laptop with me when i come to India.So i am now stuck between gettting ire of either my wife or sister
For now i have been using my HTC(15k) since 1 year and I am very happy with it. So i second your opinion,stick to your current phones till these players realise thats Indians are not so dumb and come out with realistic prices.
Have you considered the duties the Indian government mandates? (30% I think) Way beyond highway robbery. That is why you get stuff cheaper in the US. Americans are not robbed by their government for basics. Lets face it, a computer is a pretty basic requirement now – right?
Pavan – I feel your pain with the customs fellows. Crooks. After a long ass flight to India, to do deal with them is a nightmare. If you are coming to India to start a business where is the sense in limiting bringing in equipment like a couple laptops?
Yes, this price is excessive but this article does not give the full picture.
Apple sells the iPhone 3G for $500 (8GB) and $600 (16GB) to AT&T which then discounts these to $200 and $300 and adds a flat additional $15-20 to the monthly data plan (with 2 year mandatory contract required). $500 = INR 21K (I am not sure about any additional customs duty/ surcharges, there may be some since Airtel’s price is 50% more)
Every carrier around the world is free to subsidize or not the entry price it offers to the end subscriber. Airtel and Vodafone are apparently choosing not to subsidize as are most of the non US carriers. One can speculate many reasons why they are not subsidizing, but they are definitely not alone in this.
Ashish needs to add a reference for the source from where he yanked this chart. It definitely does not give the full picture.
I have been using the iPhone for over 2 months now (was lucky to get the discounted entry price in the US else would not have purchased either of these phones right now to be honest). However if you are the type that pays >INR 25K for a phone, I would strongly recommend the iPhone. For 5K INR more than the HTC you get a device that is *much* better imo.
From a technical comparison there is no comparison: one could list several differences like the AppStore, excitement in the developer community to continue developing Apps for this open platform, GPS, RIMM-like Enterprise Apps, MobileMe (which is running into some initial deployment hiccups), Accelerometer based gaming and other apps, iPod, battery life difference etc etc which are not listed in this chart. But rather than do that I would recommend you get your hands on these devices and explore for yourself to see the difference
.
If nothing else, I love this phone as an engineer who respects innovation. Am I buying into the Apple hype ? Maybe, but the hype is based on Apple’s track record of innovation in this and other products and one has to respect that.
Conclusion: If you are the type that will pay >INR 25K for a phone anyay, I would strongly recommend the iPhone.
“If you are the type that will pay >INR 25K for a phone anyay, I would strongly recommend the iPhone.”
i would like to add that you should borrow a last generation iPhone First and try using their Keypad .especially if you are a Blackberry user . you might find iPhone a real trouble when it comes to typeing
But all said and done Browsing on iPhone beats anything i have seen on a portable device with that form factor so i think a better idea is to buy a smart phone in 10-12K range ( a HTC or a Motorola ) and Buy a iPod Touch which is iphone -phone . if you are a good deal hunter you might end up saving a couple of thousand Rs .
That seems to be the price for an unlocked & contract free iPhone 3G. In Belgium the phone’s selling at 525 Euros which is about 780 USD
Actually AT&T in the US stated the following at the launch of the iPhone “in the future, AT&T will offer a no-contract-required option for $599 (8GB) or $699 (16GB)”. See the following link for details: http://www.redherring.com/Home/24434
So while the price is definitely high in India, it’s not THAT much higher than the US when it comes to a contract-free Phone, which the Indian one definitely will be.
Prashant
You will have to carry around 2 separate devices + will miss out on many features which require the phone to be integrated with the iPod touch. Not worth it imo.
31k for iphone… complete non-sense!
I have waited for the iPhone for a real long time and was hopeful to buy it at a price tag of ~20K. But by no standards for 31K.
LOL! 31-37k!!! And here I thought it would cost 18-20K. I ALMOST considered buying it at that price. 31-37K has helped me decide.
[...] tag is just a stunt by Vadofone. Everybody seems to be talking about this price range including pluggd.in and Youth Curry. A couple of months ago, Nikhil Pahwa said it would be around [...]
[...] We are delighted to announce that the iPhone 3G will be available in India from August 22, 2008 It will be available in 8GB & 16GB models, priced at Rs 31,000 and Rs 36,100 respectively.WHAT!!!! Are you serious? I read this somewhere some time ago, but I refused to believe this for obvious reasons. This is more than thrice what it costs in US and other countries. Are you trying to promote piracy? This is bull shit. This is it. I don’t want it. I’d rater buy another laptop at this price along with a decent cellphone. Or maybe go for the HTC touch Diamond. [...]
Instead of 31 K it should be below 13 K.
This is how India differs US.
Can there be Indo-US I phone Deal like we are going to have Nuclear deal !
Suman Sibal
[...] Indian blogosphere is buzzing with iPhone price announcement (from Vodafone)- most of them seems pissed [...]
The iPhone is certainly priced high in India. But comparisons like 2MP camera vs. 5MP camera are meaningless. Statistics will not tell the fact that the user experience is way superior compared to Windows Mobile or Symbian phones. Safari on the iPhone/iPod Touch is simply awesome. And the App Store makes it an incomparable mobile experience. And the fact that its an iPod + phone. However, such arguments will equally not work with the average Indian consumer who equated VFM with price + all possible features. But in not going for subsidized pricing, both Apple & the service providers may have underestimated popular sentiment.
iPhone was very costly in India. There is no sense to spend this much amt. on small handset. The big players selling the handset in Indian markets are very smart, selling it at a very high price.
The price of iPhone should be between 10K to 15K, so that a middle class can afford it and can comment on it after the usages. By doing this it might be possible the demand of iPhone is increased.
it just stupid to spend such an amount for just a phone…………………whatever it may be I Phone is just a phone isnt it….
its not such a good idea to buy iphone @31k. according to me and my friends.