Russian retailers have revealed the new Apple iPhone 17 in stores on Saturday, while the main Retailer Restore: he reported a strong increase in pre -orders this year.
The demand supported for Apple smartphones represents a signal that the interest of consumers for top products has not yet undergone a drop, despite the general economic slowdown in Russia. The country has recorded interest rates at the maximum for twenty years and a budget deficit greater than 4,000 billion rubles this year.
The popularity of the iPhones in Russia remained high even after Apple interrupted sales in 2022 and suspended services such as Apple Pay, following the western sanctions imposed for the invasion of Ukraine. In Russia, moreover, the iPhones have higher prices than the western markets.
“This year we have 66% more pre -orders compared to last year,” said Lyudmila Semushina, director of inventive retail group, owner of the Restore Technological Retailer :,
“There is a vast base of fans who will never change the iPhone with more,” added Semushina at the Restore branch: of Afimall City, located in the futuristic Moscow International Business Center, among some of the highest skyscrapers in Europe.
The US technological giant launched the iPhone 17 range globally this week, introducing a new design, updated cameras and the new Air model.
“It is worth thinking about moving from my current phone to the iPhone Air. It is an important update,” said the customer Oleg Kochetkov, underlining how the Russians are increasingly using the iPhones for FaceTime after the government has limited the call services on WhatsApp and Telegram.
“There are many new features that attract me. First of all, the cameras,” said the technological blogger Sergei Yepikhin to Reuters.
Yepikhin said to evaluate the transition to an Android iPhone Pro. Android devices are easier to use in Russia, he added, hoping that local companies develop solutions to make the use of the iPhone easier.
Russian Sber and T-Bank banks have recently launched contactless payment services to get around the Apple Pay block.
The new Apple products displayed by Restore: Saturday were available only for vision, while customers could make pre -orders for delivery in the following days.
“At the beginning there is always a small shortage of the new iPhones,” explained Semushina of Restore:.
He added that the dealer’s supply chain is “quite stable”, but that the additional logistical costs of the so -called “parallel imports” have engraved on detail prices.
The new iPhone 17 base of 256 GB is offered to 119,990 rubles ($ 1,437.08) in the Restore online store: approximately 57% more than the US price and 29% more than the United Kingdom.
Apple was the smartphone brand with the largest turnover in Russia in 2024 according to the M.Video Eldorado retailer, even if the Chinese Xiaomi led sales in terms of unity. Apple did not respond to a commentary request.
($ 1 = 83,4955 Rubli) (editorial staff of Evgeniy Matveev and Dmitriy Turlyun, text by Robert Harvey; editing by David Gregorio)
