iPhone X, iPhone 8 UK price: Apple thinks you should pay more than US users
The 256GB iPhone X is priced at £1,149, which without tax converts to $1,219, or about $70 more than in the US. (Image: Apple)
Apple has announced the frighteningly expensive iPhone X, its new uber flagship that starts at $999 in the US without taxes and £999 in the UK with VAT.
That UK starting price is for the 64GB iPhone X, while the 256GB models will cost £1,149 ($1,523). After stripping out the 20 percent VAT on smartphones in the UK, this price converts to $1,219, or about $70 more than this model in the US.
Apple thinks the iPhone X is so futuristic it warranted leaping ahead of the "iPhone 9", and it has reflected that jump in the price.
iPhon
While the newly announced iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus look identical to their predecessors, the iPhone X features a near bezel-free screen, a 5.8-inch Super Retina Display, and the Face ID facial-recognition biometric unlock. All three devices support wireless Q-based charging and run on Apple's new A11 Bionic chip.
The iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8 feature Apple's standard Retina HD display common to all other iPhones in the current lineup, including the iPhone 7 Plus, the iPhone 7, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, and iPhone SE.
As usual, Apple has made adjustments to the storage in its newer models by doubling capacity across the two models.
Like the iPhone X, the 4.7-inch display iPhone 8 is available with either 64GB and 256GB storage, costing £699 and £849, respectively.
The 5.5-inch display iPhone 8 Plus meanwhile will cost £799 for the 64GB model and £949 for the 256GB model.
UK carriers haven't revealed contract pricing yet, but Apple is selling the iPhone X under two-year plans from £47.95 per month for the 64GB model and from £55.15 for the 256GB model. Consumers can also buy it for £56.45 a month through Apple's annual replacement iPhone Upgrade Program.
As it pushes new price limits at the higher end, Apple has cut the price of existing models by $50 to $100 in the US. Sadly, for UK consumers, the cuts in the UK aren't as generous. In the US Apple chopped $100 off the iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, and $50 off the iPhone SE.
In the UK, it lopped £25 off the iPhone SE's former £379 price, bringing it down to £349, and cut £50 off the remaining models. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus for example now start at £549 and £669, respectively, compared with their former starting prices of £599 and £719.
The lineup means Apple has a current range of eight iPhone models, which range in price from the £349 iPhone SE through to the £1,149 iPhone X 256 GB model.
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The iPhone X starts at $999 for 64 gigabytes of storage, with that price rising to $1,149 for those who want 256 gigabytes of storage. Is this price tag justifiable or is it outrageous?
The iPhone X is basically Samsung's Note 8 plus Animojis
Apple's new iPhone X is the first iPhone that's drastically different from what we've seen over the last decade. However, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 still offers more and has my full attention.
More on Apple's iPhone X, 8 and 8 Plus
- Apple iPhone X sets the stage for future price hikes, not innovation
- Apple's iPhone 8, iPhone X, Apple Watch, augmented reality: What it all means for business
- iPhone X: The hardware behind Face ID
- Apple launches iPhone 8 and aims for next decade of smartphones with $1,000 iPhone X
- Buying a new iPhone just got more expensive