South Africa’s strengthened rand has led to lower launch prices for Apple’s iPhone 16 series than the previous iPhone 15, TechCentral reports.
The rand has appreciated against the dollar over the past year. On September 13, 2023, the exchange rate was R18.80 to the dollar, improving to R17.76 per dollar at the time of writing—an increase of 5.9%.
The iPhone 16 series, featuring cutting-edge artificial intelligence, marks a significant leap in technology. This is the first time Apple Intelligence will be included in newly released iPhones, with the iPhone 15 Pro models also set to receive this groundbreaking technology.
The base model, iPhone 16, with 128GB of storage, is priced at R20,999, a 4.5% decrease from the launch price of the iPhone 15. This pricing is competitive, especially considering the features and performance of the device compared to other smartphones in the market.
The iPhone Plus models have also seen price drops, with the 128GB variant priced at R23,999, the 256GB at R26,499, and the 512GB at R30,799.
For the iPhone 16 Pro, the 128GB model is available for R26,999, a 4.3% reduction from the iPhone 15 Pro’s launch price. The 1TB Pro variant is priced at R39,999, 4.8% lower than its predecessor.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max, the top model in the range, has seen price cuts of just over 5% across all variants.
The 128GB and 256GB Pro Max models are priced at R31,799 and R36,999, respectively, showing declines of 5.1%. The 1TB Pro Max is now available for R39,999, a 5.6% decrease.
The Apple Watch Series 10 will also be released in South Africa on September 20. Prices start at R9,899 for the Wi-Fi-only model, which offers all the standard features of the Apple Watch, and R12,399 for the version with integrated eSIM, which allows you to make calls and use data without your iPhone nearby.
