iPhone 18 Prices Trigger Meme Frenzy, Apple’s Premium Phones Compared With Royal Enfield Bikes And Gold

Mumbai: Apple’s latest iPhone pricing has triggered a meme wave across social media, with users comparing premium models not with Samsung devices but with Royal Enfield motorcycles, gold, Bitcoin and even kidneys.

Royal Enfield enters the debate

One widely shared comparison placed the Royal Enfield Himalayan OG 440 at about Rs 2.80 lakh on-road, against a claimed Rs 2.99 lakh price for the iPhone Duo 256GB.

Users joked that buyers could purchase the adventure motorcycle, fill its fuel tank and still have money left. The comparison produced the viral line: “iPhone is no longer competing with Samsung; it is competing with Royal Enfield.”

The humour worked because the two purchases offer sharply different experiences. A Himalayan can support daily travel, highway journeys and off-road trips, while even the most expensive smartphone ultimately fits inside a pocket.

Kidney jokes return

Apple’s steep pricing has revived the internet’s familiar kidney jokes. One post claimed buyers would need “two kidneys” for the iPhone Duo, while another suggested the “Duo” name meant customers needed two jobs to afford it.

Other satirical posts imagined Rs 5 lakh card limits for iPhone buyers, a government-backed “iPhone registry” and five-year bank loans. Though clearly exaggerated, the jokes reflected how flagship phones are increasingly viewed as major purchases rather than routine upgrades.

Gold, Bitcoin join comparisons

Another meme compared early iPhone and Bitcoin prices. It showed the iPhone 5 costing USD 649 in 2012, when Bitcoin was around USD 12, against claimed current figures of about USD 2,000 for an iPhone 18 Ultra and USD 78,265 for Bitcoin.

Posts from Pakistan also circulated purported prices running into several lakh rupees, further fuelling jokes about affordability.

The viral claims and prices remain social-media comparisons rather than verified buying guidance. Yet the meme frenzy highlights the iPhone’s unusual position as both a technology product and a status symbol. For many users, Apple’s premium pricing now invites comparisons with bikes, jewellery and investments—not merely rival smartphones.