IPhone6S costs 45% more in Israel

Apple’s new iPhone6S and iPhone6S Plus models were set to go on sale at midnight on Wednesday in Israeli stores and through mobile operators. Local consumers, as every fall when the new iPhone version is available, were expected to rush out to buy it, even though prices are up to 45 percent more expensive than abroad.

Some 10,000 Israelis were expected to buy the new iPhone by Thursday morning.

Israelis will pay between NIS 4,150 and NIS 4,500 for the 64-giga iPhone6S, which costs the equivalent of NIS 3,100 in the US, NIS 3,150 in Hong Kong and NIS 3,650 in the UK. Even though VAT fell from 18 percent to 17% at the start of October, the main reason for the higher price in Israel is taxation.

The only major country where the iPhone 6S is more expensive than Israel is Turkey, where it retails for the equivalent of NIS 4,590. Buyers who bring in a phone from abroad are required to pay customs tax at Ben-Gurion Airport, which cancels out any possible savings.

Last fall, the new iPhone 6 sold for NIS 3,680 in Israel, but today it has risen to NIS 3,740. At Orange, last year’s iPhone costs NIS 3,890 today, up from NIS 3,800 last year. This has not stopped Israeli consumers from buying the phone in droves.

The iPhone 6S offers users several technological innovations, including a 3-D touchscreen, a new processor and an improved camera.

Most stores and operators in Israel offer a handsome trade-in prices of between NIS 1,000 to NIS 2,000 when buying a new phone and handing back an old phone.