Experts Analyze How Tech Fee May Change iPhone Prices in Perm

This year, prices for smartphones and laptops may rise due to tax changes. Specifically, there is discussion about iPhone price increases. A correspondent from 59.RU spoke with employees of Apple technology stores and studied price history to find out when it would be advantageous to buy a new gadget.

Throughout the year, smartphone prices are unstable; they can sharply rise or fall. At the time of presentation, the cost of an iPhone starts at almost 200,000 rubles (approximately $2,200 at current rates), and within a few months, its price drops by almost half.

Employees of the iStudio store chain explained to the 59.RU correspondent that the cost of an iPhone depends not only on the device«s novelty, but also on currency exchange rates, duties, supply conditions, and other market factors. The price can change due to inflation, rising component costs, and changes in taxes. iStudio noted that based on past experience, due to unstable currency rates and changes in duties, the price of technology could increase. But stores strive to maintain minimum prices thanks to direct supplies and efficient resource distribution.

Many stores in Perm refused to comment or ignored the correspondent«s message. In one store, they explained why no one wants to talk on this topic.

«We are currently in a state of uncertainty,» said an employee of the Connect store. «In the future, we will be ready to answer questions and provide detailed comments.»

Which Tax Changes Will Affect the Cost of Technology

The main tax change will occur on September 1, 2026. The State Duma has passed a law introducing a technological fee for finished electronic equipment, such as smartphones, laptops, and lighting products. This initiative is designed to support the Russian radio-electronic industry.

The tax will be paid by importers and domestic electronics manufacturers. The fee rate will be determined individually for each product. The maximum fixed rate could reach 5,000 rubles per device (approximately $56 at current rates).

Victoria Shatnyova, founder of the strategic marketing company STRATMARK, gave a forecast to the portal MSK1.RU that the tech fee will inevitably affect electronics prices: price increases for consumers could reach 20-30%. At the same time, according to Victoria, even Russian technology will not become significantly cheaper, as most components for its production are still assembled outside the country. Because of this, domestic manufacturers will also bear indirect costs.

When to Buy an iPhone: Personal Experience

The correspondent shared his experience of buying an expensive gadget.

«I wanted to buy an iPhone 15 Pro after its release in 2023 and started tracking prices,» shares the 59.RU correspondent. «After the release, due to hype, the price for the 512-gigabyte version stayed around 170,000–180,000 rubles (approximately $1,900–$2,000 at current rates). It only decreased significantly in late March 2024. In early April, I managed to buy a brand-new gadget for 130,000 rubles (approximately $1,400), and by the release of the new version, the price dropped by another 20,000 rubles (approximately $220).»

On the website of the DNS technology store chain, each product card has a graph showing its price change over the past six months. According to it, over two years of sales, the iPhone 15 Pro has alternately decreased and increased in price—today its price is at a peak.

In early August, the price for the iPhone 15 Pro with 512 gigabytes reached 123,000 rubles (approximately $1,400). By early October, it rose to 143,000 rubles (approximately $1,600), after which in mid-month it jumped to 175,000 rubles (approximately $1,900). But exactly one month later, in November, the price was already 134,000 rubles (approximately $1,500). By early January, it increased to 175,000 rubles (approximately $1,900).

In September 2025, the iPhone 17 Pro with 256 gigabytes was released; at the start of sales in the DNS store, it cost 153,000 rubles (approximately $1,700). But by early January, its price decreased to 131,000 rubles (approximately $1,500).

Based on his experience and online price history, the correspondent concluded that the best time to buy is March and April, as well as before the presentation of new devices in September.

Previously, we reported on the huge price increase for RAM.