Post GST price-tags: How the rollout of GST has impacted the prices of our favorite gadgets

tech2 News StaffJul 10, 2017 17:16:41 IST

While many had a good idea about the rise or drop in prices of their favourite gadgets; others who went online or headed to stores a few days later were either left smiling or frowning depending on what gadget or gizmo they wanted to purchase. We are talking about price tags post the government’s GST roll out. Here is a glance at the new price, whether higher or lower, of the most popular gadgets in the market today.

To make the breakdown easier we have categorized the devices into 5 distinct categories. Note that the prices given below are a mix of both offline and online price tags.

Smartphones
Starting with smartphones, we have the popular iPhone range where Apple’s entire range of products saw a price drop. Asus quickly joined the party followed by Samsung as well. Xiaomi’s price tags despite being assembled locally, remain unchanged.

Laptops
Laptops saw a price rise instead of a price drop. Most brands have neither shifted up nor dropped their prices. Apple’s MacBook lineup in particular saw a price rise. The same goes for online price tags from brands like HP and Lenovo with their popular 13-inch ultrabooks

Tablets
The prices of tablets did not see a drop along with the drop in smartphone prices. The rollout of GST is expected to negatively impact tablet shipments, according to industry reports.

Gaming Consoles
The prices of gaming consoles seem largely unaffected. However, the Microsoft Xbox One saw a sharp price increase after the rollout of GST.

Cameras
Both Nikon and Canon dSLRs saw a price increase of over Rs. 3,000. High end mirrorless cameras such as the FUJI X1-T were not affected. Mid range mirrorless cameras such as the Sony Alpha series saw a minor price increase, while the prices of action cameras such as the GoPro Hero 5 dropped slightly.

High end smartphones saw a drop in prices, but the prices of entry level and mid range smartphones stayed more or less the same. The prices of laptops and tablets saw a slight increase. When it comes to gaming consoles, the PlayStation did not see a price jump but the Xbox One is dearer by more than Rs 8,000. Most cameras saw an increase in price.