Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 Price Is Over Rs 11,000 Cheaper Than The 2TB iPhone Duo

The most expensive iPhone Duo you can buy in India costs Rs 4,49,900.Read that number again. That is not the price of a laptop, a motorcycle or a down payment on a car. It is the price Apple is asking for the 2TB version of its first foldable iPhone.

And if you take that number to a Maruti Suzuki dealership in Delhi, you will find something slightly ridiculous: it is enough to buy a brand-new Alto K10 or S-Presso, on-road, with money left over. The comparison gets even more interesting because these aren't the basic stripped out bog standard version of these cars. We are looking at the LXi (O) Petrol Manual versions of both hatchbacks, one step above their respective base variants.

The Alto K10 is cheaper than Apple's most expensive iPhone

The Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 LXi (O) Petrol Manual costs Rs 3,99,900 ex-showroom. Add Rs 18,826 for registration, Rs 18,865 for insurance and Rs 800 for FasTag, and the on-road price in Delhi comes to Rs 4,38,391. That is still Rs 11,509 less than the 2TB iPhone Duo.

And this isn't a car that exists merely to move from A to B. For that money, you get a 998cc K10C petrol engine putting out 68bhp and 91.1Nm through a five-speed manual, 24.39kmpl mileage, air conditioning and power steering added over the base trim, along with six airbags, ABS and EBD, rear parking sensors, and a 214-litre boot. However, there's no touchscreen, no power windows and no Bluetooth at this trim; Maruti keeps those for the VXi (O) and VXi Plus (O) further up the range.

So, technically, you could buy the Alto K10, get it registered, insured and drive it home, and still have money left over for a few tanks of petrol compared to buying Apple's most expensive foldable. Or you could use the money you save over iPhone Duo to get a good touchscreen infotainment unit with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

The S-Presso makes the comparison even stranger

The Maruti Suzuki S-Presso LXi (O) Petrol Manual is even cheaper. Its ex-showroom price is Rs 3,82,400. Registration costs Rs 18,796, insurance adds Rs 22,415 and the FasTag adds another Rs 500. Put everything together and the on-road price in Delhi comes to Rs 4,24,111.

The S-Presso uses the same 998cc K10C petrol engine and five-speed manual gearbox as the Alto K10, with an ARAI-claimed 24.44kmpl. Safety equipment includes dual airbags, ABS with EBD, ESP and hill-hold assist.

At its on-road price, the S-Presso LXi (O) variant is still Rs 25,789 cheaper compared to the 2TB iPhone Duo. You could use the money to make the same infotainment system upgrade as the one we mention.

Why is the iPhone Duo 2TB so expensive - The Apple storage upgrade vortex

The really interesting part of the iPhone Duo's pricing isn't even the Rs 4,49,900 headline figure.It is how much Apple charges to keep adding storage. The iPhone Duo actually starts at Rs 2,99,900 for the 256GB version. The 512GB model costs another Rs 25,000, the jump to 1TB adds Rs 50,000, and going from 1TB to 2TB costs another Rs 75,000.

That final Rs 75,000 upgrade is nearly three times more than the entire Rs 25,789 difference between the S-Presso's and Alto K10's on-road prices in Delhi. In other words, you are paying enough for additional phone storage to cover a significant chunk of the price difference between two brand-new Maruti hatchbacks.

The hardware itself doesn't suddenly become a different phone at 2TB. The processor, 48MP Fusion Main camera, 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera and 7.6-inch inner display remain unchanged across the four storage variants of the Duo. Apple rates the iPhone Duo for up to 31 hours of video playback using the inner display and up to 44 hours using the outer display. It can also reach a 50 percent charge in around 20 minutes.

Rs 4.49 lakh is a very different number when you put it next to a car

This is where the iPhone Duo's price becomes difficult to ignore. Apple's most expensive foldable is a premium technology product, and there is clearly a market for people willing to pay for its thin design, folding display, cameras, ecosystem and the novelty of owning Apple's first foldable. Value for money was never likely to be its strongest selling point.

But Rs 4,49,900 is a real number. Put it next to the price of an everyday car and the scale of that number changes completely. The Alto K10 is Rs 11,509 cheaper on-road in Delhi. The S-Presso is Rs 25,789 cheaper. And both prices include the costs required to actually put those cars on the road.

The iPhone Duo, meanwhile, can become even more expensive once you start adding accessories. Apple's own case costs Rs 8,900, while the Folio with Kickstand adds another Rs 14,900. So, yes, the iPhone Duo can cost as much as - or more than - an entire new Maruti hatchback. That doesn't make the phone a bad product. It simply gives Rs 4,49,900 some much-needed context.

For the price of Apple's most expensive iPhone, you could own a car that gets you to work every day. Or you could buy the phone and show it off until Apple makes it obsolete in another year.