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Apple’s first foldable iPhone Duo has entered the world’s most expensive smartphone list with a starting price of Rs. 2,99,900 in India. The device ranks below luxury phones from Vertu but above several premium foldables from Samsung and Huawei. Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro Max also features among the costliest smartphones with a Rs. 1,79,900 starting price.

Apple's India price list just got a fresh jolt. The newly launched iPhone Duo, the company's first foldable, starts at Rs. 2,99,900 in India, making it the most expensive smartphone Apple has ever officially sold. Alongside it, the iPhone 18 Pro series has also gone up in price, with the iPhone 18 Pro now starting at Rs. 1,64,900 and the iPhone 18 Pro Max at Rs. 1,79,900 - a jump of roughly Rs. 30,000 over the iPhone 17 Pro Max's Rs. 1,49,900 launch price last year. But even these numbers pale in comparison to the truly outlandish sums some phone makers have charged for their most exclusive creations.

Here's a look at some of the world's costliest phones right now (launched within the last two years), and where Apple's latest lineup actually stands among them. These are ranked strictly by their official starting prices.

1.Vertu AlphaFold: Starts at Rs. 6.56 lakh

British luxury phone maker Vertu's first book-style foldable, launched on May 28 this year. It is built around an enterprise-focused AI system called Hermes Agent that connects to scheduling, travel and CRM tools, alongside an 8.05-inch inner display and a titanium hinge. The base calfskin-leather model starts at Rs. 6.56 lakh, the alligator-leather version costs Rs. 9.38 lakh, and a gold-and-diamond edition tops out at a staggering Rs. 36.47 lakh - making it, at its highest configuration, more expensive than every other phone on this list combined.

Vertu AlphaFold |

2. Vertu Ironflip: Starts at Rs. 3,14,700

British luxury phone maker Vertu's Ironflip tops this list by a wide margin. According to Vertu's own pricing pages, the flip phone starts at Rs. 3,14,700, built with a titanium alloy frame, a 'diamond-like' water-drop hinge rated for 6.5 lakh folds, a 50-megapixel camera and support for both standard Android and a separate Web3 operating system.