Apple recently rolled out its iPhone SE, a 4-inch smartphone packing vigorous technical specs, a sleek design and an affordable price.
If you live in the United States, that is.
Global markets saw unexpectedly high price tags for the latest iPhone, and we rounded up the details so you know what to expect.
For example, Australian Apple fans can purchase the 16 GB variant of iPhone SE for about $679 AUD. This is surprising as the U.S. price for the device sits at $399 USD, which after conversion would amount to $525 AUD.
With the VAT-less price building up to about $617, it looks like the OEM asks its Australian customers to shell out $62 more than they should.
Canada presents a similar situation. The iPhone SE sells for $579 CAD. Should the exchange rate be applied, the final price should be no more than $522. Regardless of whether you want to buy a 16 GB and 64 GB iPhone SE, a $55 premium topping the U.S. pricing is in store. It also should be noted that Canada treats VAT differently from other countries, as the Canadian sales tax gets piled to the price at the time of purchase.
In the UK, the premium varies between £20 to £25 after both VAT and exchange rate.
It should be noted that as the forex market shows increased signs of volatility, the prices and differences might vary significantly.
In Continental Europe we see the same trend in the iPhone SE's price. Countries such as Germany, France, Spain and Italy sell the device for a starting price of €489 (16 GB model) and €589 (64 GB model).
In comparison, the U.S. prices of the handset are $399 for the 16 GB model (equivalent of €355) and $499 USD for the 64 GB model (equivalent of €444).
Countries from Asia follow the same pattern. A look at the price tag of the smartphone in Hong Kong, China, Japan, Singapore and New Zealand will show a similar trend.
"iPhone SE is an exciting new idea – we started with a beloved, iconic design and reinvented it from the inside out," says Apple's senior VP of Worldwide Marketing, Philip Schiller.
He went on to say that the device is the most powerful 4-inch phone ever released. You may want to check out its specs and features in our special coverage.
Apple also talked about availability in its press release.
Orders for the iPhone SE can be placed starting March 24, with availability debuting March 31 if you order in one of the following countries: the U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands, the UK, Singapore, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, France, China, Canada and Australia.
An additional long list of nations will receive the gadget in early April. These include the rest of the countries from the EU, as well as others such as Albania, Andorra, Bahrain, Guernsey, Jersey, India, Isle of Man, Kosovo, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Maldives, Monaco, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.
The new iPhone SE made its debut during the same event as Apple's new 9.7-inch iPad Pro. You should know that the tablet also comes with higher prices in overseas markets, so you may want to buy it from the U.S. if you can.
