iPhone 11 set to make Apple's Diwali a grand affair

Cupertino: Learning its lessons from the success of iPhone XR in India, Apple has done the right thing by launching iPhone 11 at a reasonable price point at a time when the festive season is round the corner, industry analysts said on Wednesday.

The iPhone XR that was launched last year saw uplift after the price drop and heavy promotional activities. Riding on promotional offers especially on iPhone XR, Apple regained top position in the premium smartphone segment in India in the second quarter (Q2) this year.

The iPhone 11 -- launched here on Tuesday -- will be available in India from September 27 in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models in purple, green, yellow, black, white and PRODUCT(RED) colours, starting at Rs 64,900.

The 6.1-inch, all-screen Liquid Retina display device is powered by the A13 Bionic chip to perform the most demanding tasks, while getting through an entire day on a single charge, and is designed to withstand the elements with improved water resistance.

According to Thomas Husson, Vice President & Principal Analyst at Forrester, Apple's new range of iPhones is a powerful upgrade to the X edition, eventually leapfrogging competition on performance and on the photo/video experience.

"Coupled with a smart pricing for the new and old iPhone ranges, I believe this will enable Apple to maintain its premium brand and continue to grow its installed base of devices," Husson told IANS.

iPhone 11 introduces a dual-camera system with all-new Ultra Wide and Wide cameras that are deeply integrated into iOS 13, offering the highest quality video in a smartphone and major advancements in photography for the ultimate camera experience.

"iPhone 11 is likely to do well in India. I think Apple realised that iPhone XR was pricey as the price adjustments in Q2 led to a surge in sales for iPhone XR," said Tarun Pathak, Associate Director, Counterpoint Research.

"Even in a price-sensitive market like India, the Rs 56,000 pricing made it the best-selling iPhone for Apple in Q2, so iPhone 11 has been launched as a good price point. Additionally, the new iPhones will have a timely entry in India one month ahead in festive season which should help drive sales," Pathak told IANS.

iPhone 11 has 12 MP front camera with a wider field of view to capture more in selfies and next-generation Smart HDR to enable more natural-looking photos.

Expressive selfie videos take on a whole new look on the TrueDepth camera, now recording 4K video at up to 60 fps and 120 fps in slow motion.

"Apple saw some success and volumes in Q2 in India due to price correction of iPhone XR. While there will certainly be consumers looking to upgrade from iPhone 6 and 7, with XR being continued, we should see further price reduction and volumes coming from XR than 11," said Navkendar Singh, Research Director, IDC India.

Given that the new iPhones have some incremental upgrades to processor and camera technology, consumers who bought iPhones in the past one-two years may not have the appetite to upgrade immediately.

"Yet, the Apple iPhone continues to be an aspirational model of choice for consumers. The entry-level Apple 11 underlines Apple acknowledging the consumer push-back towards high prices of recent iPhones. On the back of the iPhone XR success, Apple will focus on gaining market share with the Apple 11," noted Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CyberMedia Research (CMR).