Apple’s new iPhones cost more this year, not just the Duo, its first foldable, or the 18 Pro. Older models went up too, breaking a five-year run of steady pricing in India. Some of that is tax and currency. Most of it is a global memory shortage, squeezed by AI’s appetite for chips. Add India’s duty structure and Apple’s read on what buyers will pay, and the entry fee for an iPhone has never been higher.