Technology prices in Uganda have slightly increased in recent months, and the price of smartphones like iPhones has strangely also been affected. This is strange since the Shilling has been losing against the US dollar since mid-May, but the major cause of price increase is due to supplier shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Smartphone prices not only affects Apple products but also Samsung, Huawei, and LG were also affected, but iPhones were the most heavily impacted. Popular Chinese brands like iTel and Infix are also struggling to sell their more affordable phone in these tough economic times.
Some mobile phone dealers downtown we spoke to told us that despite production and supply interruptions in China and airport closure, they were able to cover stock shortages thanks to well-managed inventory processes and timely delivery during the lockdown.
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Many Uganda may feel that these increased prices mean they are paying inordinately high prices for smartphones and other tech products than other countries around the world.
iPhone 11 price comparison
To give an idea of how Uganda prices differ from those charged for these products overseas, we looked at the price of a new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max in the following countries:
- Uganda
- SouthAfrica
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Finland
- Australia
- Brazil
As sales tax is not included in the price of an iPhone in the United States, an average markup of 7.25% has been added to make this price more comparable with that of other countries.
It is important to note that the real combined sales tax rate would depend on which individual state the iPhone was purchased in.
The price of these iPhones was converted to Ugandan Shillings using the exchange rate at the time of writing, and this figure was used to rank the prices from most expensive to cheapest.
While this provides a rough idea of how much more Ugandans pay for iPhone 11 devices, it should be noted that this price difference may be influenced by a number of factors.
These include shipping costs, as Uganda is a landlocked country and much farther away from Apple’s global distribution centers than many other countries in this comparison.
Import duties may differ compared with other countries as well, meaning that local distributors may be charged more for bringing iPhones into the country than distributors in Europe or Australia.
Sales volumes are also a consideration, as local distributors may not be able to import as many iPhones as international distributors, and therefore they will not benefit from bulk volume discounts to the same extent.
iPhone 11 – Uganda vs The World
The prices of iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max smartphones in Uganda and a number of other countries are listed below.
Pricing information was sourced from the Apple website in the international regions and the Uganda pricing is based on an average figure we got from most traders downtown Kampala.
iPhone 11 64GB
| Country | Price |
|---|---|
| South Africa | R18,499 (UGX 3.9m) |
| Finland | €829 (UGX 3.6 m) |
| United Kingdom | £729 (UGX 3.5 m) |
| Brazil | R$4,999 (UGX 3.3) |
| Australia | A$1,199 (UGX 3.17 m) |
| Uganda | UGX 2.85 m |
| United States* | $751 (UGX 2.75 m) |
iPhone 11 Pro 64GB
| Country | Price |
|---|---|
| Finland | €1179 (UGX 5.13 m) |
| South Africa | R23999 (UGX 5 m) |
| United Kingdom | £1049 (UGX 5.04 m) |
| South Africa | R23999 (UGX 5 m) |
| Australia | A$1,799 (UGX 4.76 m) |
| Brazil | R$6,999 (UGX 4.7 m) |
| Uganda | UGX 4 m |
| United States* | $1,074 (UGX 3.9 m) |
iPhone 11 Pro Max 64GB
| Country | Price |
|---|---|
| Finland | €1,279 (UGX 5.57 m) |
| South Africa | R26,499 (UGX 5.5m) |
| United Kingdom | £1,149 (UGX 5.5 m) |
| Brazil | R$7,599 (UGX 5.05 m) |
| Australia | A$1,899 (UGX 5.02 m) |
| Uganda | UGX 4.4 m |
| United States* | $1,181 (UGX 4.3 m) |
