Don’t buy an iPhone in Georgia. I visited there and saw what was happening in the country with Apple

In balance, I had a short trip to the capital of Georgia. I have already shared my tourist route and how many times I returned.

At first I assumed it myself, and then on this trip they asked me to touch on the topic of our site and tell How is Apple doing in general on the Georgian market?.

When leaving Russia, there is always a feeling that, well, an iPhone should be cheaper in another country, so maybe you can buy it? But Turkey, with its 100% tax, showed that direct deliveries do not make cheap iPhones compared to the Russian Federation.

In Georgia, everything turned out to be not so bad; equipment here does not cost crazy money. But I couldn’t call it cheap either. In addition, there is not even an official online Apple Store, something that Russia has distinguished itself for almost 10 years.

Below I’ll share how to look at Apple stores in Tbilisi, what smartphones people carry here, and whether it makes sense to travel to a neighboring country to buy an iPhone from an official reseller at the same time. Spoiler: not everything is so clear.

There are plenty of shops, more than a dozen authorized sellers

Mostly I walked in the center of Tbilisi along both banks of the Kura River. Within 10 minutes there were signs of technical services, stores of Apple devices and accessories for them.

It feels like it’s almost impossible to break a sleepy iPhone or buy it “out of the blue” here by accident. Yes, there are few giant flagship glasses; in most places the sales look neat and original.

The more it was observed, the clearer it became that Apple clearly controls the local market through cooperation with franchises, and attention to it is of no small importance.

Because there is a lot of advertising, all the posters are high-quality, the store interiors are clean and tidy, the devices on the shelves are up-to-date. Most places that sell Apple equipment have the iPhone 15 on display.

Of the sellers in the country, there are five mono-brand Premium resellers and another seven networks of Authorized resellers with company islands on their trading platforms.

But with service it’s more difficult.

I was left without repairs. Not everyone will help

Service signs are everywhere, but these are “basement” workshops, although they are not that. This suggests that the popularity of repairs has understandably led to high views on smartphones.

In fact, judging by the company’s website, there is only one authorized repairman: iSupport. Here he calls on onlookers to be more attentive.

I had a special request for a fix. I recently wrote that while filming for a review of AirPods Pro, after three years of use, one of the tips tore. And recently it completely fell apart and needed a new one.

So, this circumstance did not help me in any service or store. There were no inserts even for sale.

And another was surprised by the phenomenon.

By comparison, in wealthier (by GDP per capita) Israel, where Apple actually produces its processors, the company’s presence is much smaller. Samsung advertising, for example, is plentiful, but there is not as much marketing material from Californians as is seen in Georgia. And people in Tel Aviv didn’t carry iPhones at all.

And this is especially strange, according to data, Apple’s share in modern countries (and in Russia) is 25%.

It’s cheaper than Russian chain stores, but still expensive

In general, to find out prices specifically for this post, I went to a physical point of one official reseller in iShop Georgia. In translation, the amounts in rubles were similar to the Russian recovery:.

But in the iShop online store the equipment turned out to be much cheaper. See for yourself.

iPhone 15
In Georgia 85,500 ₽*, in restoration: 101,990 ₽
iPhone 15 plus
To Georgia 103,000 ₽, to restoration 131,990 ₽
iPhone 15 pro
To Georgia 118,500 ₽, to restoration 139,990 ₽.
iPhone 15 pro max
To Georgia 144,000 ₽, to restoration 169,990 ₽.

MacBook Air M2 (13)
In Georgia 125,000 ₽, in restoration: 134,990 ₽
MacBook Pro M3 Pro (16)
In Georgia 290,500 ₽, in restoration: 329,990 ₽.

AirPods Pro 2
In Georgia 32,500 ₽, in restoration: 33,990 ₽.

Apple Watch 9 45 mm
In Georgia 47,000 ₽, in restoration: 61,990 ₽
Apple Watch Ultra
In Georgia 82,000 ₽, in restoration: 119,990 ₽.

*Prices are indicated at the rate of 1 lari = 34.25 rubles. at the exchange rate as of December 22, 2023

This may be due to seasonal demand for the New Year, or to attempts to stimulate online sales, which are often more profitable for the seller.

At the same time, there are a lot of other places in Russia with Apple equipment, which sells the company’s smartphones and computers at 15% cheaper.

Therefore, I would not set myself the goal of going to the country for the sake of profitable shopping. The maximum is if a good offer comes to hand, and you have been planning to upgrade for a long time.

How much salary do you need in Georgia to buy an iPhone?

The World Population Review website claims that 25.08% of all smartphone owners in Georgia own an iPhone. This almost coincides with the statistics for Russia with its 26.01%.

Using the example, of course, the closer to the capital, the higher the share. Just as in the Moscow metro the iPhone 14 Pro Max keeps disappearing into view every now and then, so in Tbilisi I unexpectedly often saw gold and black “programs” of series 12, 13 and 14 on buses and minibuses.

Unexpectedly, because they knew little about income in the country.

Judging by official statistics, the average salary in Georgia is 1,855 lari per month or 62,000 rubles. For comparison, in Russia, according to Rosstat, the median was set at 57,800 rubles.

If you rely on this data and look at the prices, then for an iPhone 15 Pro Max in modern countries you need to pay about 2.5 times the full average salary.. In Tbilisi, this model from an official reseller costs 144,000 rubles, and in Russia prices start at 125,000 rubles and reach 170,000 rubles, depending on the store.

But it’s worth noting that I’ve never seen an iPhone 15 Pro on the streets of Tbilisi. In Moscow now you won’t surprise anyone with a smartphone. But the economic capital of Russia is also stronger, people spend more here.

I don’t recommend going especially for Apple

Despite the lack of direct supplies to Russia, the prices of the company’s equipment have not skyrocketed within all reasonable conditions. Chain stores sell in the same zone as Europe, calculated at the exchange rate.

At the end of the year, it turns out that Georgian stores sharply reduce prices on Apple, but for about the same money you can look for smartphones in Russia.

Tbilisi was surprised that people use a lot of firmware, and I haven’t seen push-button iPhone SEs at all.

And neat reseller outlets are often mentioned, not to mention the signage services that lure customers within a 10-minute walk of the city.

So the local market seems high, but I wouldn’t do a tech shopping tour, apparently it’s not worth it. But you need to come here for something else: a table in the temple, old streets and delicious food.

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