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Russian antimonopoly service to check iPhone X pricing

FAS will also check the pricing of iPhone 8 because of complaints from buyers

MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/. Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) will check the pricing for the iPhone X smartphone following a complaint of a citizen, the agency’s spokesperson told TASS.

"Due to the complaint of a citizen about same prices for iPhone X, Russia’s FAS will conduct a pricing audit," the agency official said.

Earlier it became known that the FAS will also check the pricing of iPhone 8 because of complaints from buyers.

On September 12, Apple unveiled new models of smartphones: the iPhone X, which went on sale on November 3, and the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which became available in Russia from September 29.

Prices for the iPhone 8 in the official online store of Apple start from 56,990 rubles ($963), iPhone 8 Plus - from 64,990 rubles ($1,098), on the iPhone X - from 79.990 rubles ($1,351).

Case of iPhone pricing

Earlier FAS investigation revealed that since the start of official sales of iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in Russia (end of September 2015), most resellers set the same prices for smartphones and held them for a certain time. The watchdog also found that retailers' prices coincide with other models of Apple smartphones.

The agency suggested that such coincidences could be the result of Apple's pricing coordination - the "recommended" prices for the iPhone were accepted by Russian resellers as compulsory. Apple denied these charges, and retailers said they themselves set prices based on the current market conditions.

In March 2017, the FAS found Apple Rus guilty of fixing prices for a number of iPhone models of the fifth and sixth series. In particular, the agency stated violations in respect of smartphones iPhone 5s, 5c, 6, 6 Plus, 6s and 6s Plus. Later, FAS fined the Russian subsidiary of Apple at 1.75 million rubles ($30,465).

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