iPhone 17 Launches in Moscow with strong Pre-Order Numbers Despite Economic Headwinds
Moscow, Russia – Apple’s iPhone 17 series went on sale in Russia on Saturday, with retailer Restore reporting a notable surge in pre-orders. The strong demand demonstrates continued consumer interest in Apple products within Russia, even as the country faces a challenging economic climate marked by record-high interest rates and a budget deficit exceeding 4 trillion rubles.
Despite Apple officially halting sales in Russia in 2022 and suspending services like Apple Pay following the invasion of Ukraine, iPhones remain popular. However, prices in Russia are considerably higher than in Western markets.
“This year we have 66% more pre-orders than in the previous year,” stated Ljudmila Semuschina, PR director of Inventive Retail Group, the parent company of Restore. She highlighted a dedicated fanbase, noting, ”There is a huge fan base that would never exchange their iPhone for another device.”
The iPhone 17 series,launched globally this week,features a new design,improved cameras,and the new Air model. Customers like Oleg Kochetkov expressed interest in upgrading, stating, “It is worth thinking about changing from my current phone to the iPhone Air. This is a big update,” adding that Russians are increasingly relying on iPhones for FaceTime due to restrictions on WhatsApp and Telegram calls.
Tech blogger Sergej Jepichin also noted the appeal of the new features, particularly the cameras, and is considering switching from Android to the iPhone Pro. While acknowledging Android’s current ease of use in Russia, he expressed hope for local solutions to improve the iPhone experience.
Russia’s Sber and T-Bank have recently introduced contactless payment services as alternatives to Apple Pay.
Restore reported a typical initial bottleneck in supply, but Semuschina assured customers the supply chain is ”quiet stable.” She also noted that increased logistics costs associated with “parallel imports” have contributed to higher retail prices.
The base model of the iPhone 17 with 256 GB is listed on the Restore online shop for 119,990 rubles ($1,437.08), representing a 57% increase over US prices and a 29% increase over British prices.
According to data from dealer M.Video Eldorado,Apple was the top-selling smartphone brand in Russia in 2024,though China’s Xiaomi lead in overall unit sales. Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
($1 = 83.4955 Rubel)
