Harsh Goenka reacts as Delhi man trades ancestral gold to buy iPhone 18 Pro for wife

Delhi man said he sold his ancestral family gold to purchase the newly launched device in the coveted Burgundy colour for his wife.

The frenzy surrounding the iPhone 18 Pro launch in India drew the usual massive crowds to Apple stores, but one buyer in Noida has sparked a social media debate over his unconventional financing method.

Waiting outside the Apple Store at DLF Mall of India, a Delhi man told India Today Tech that he sold his ancestral family gold to purchase the newly launched device in the coveted Burgundy colour for his wife.

The revelation quickly went viral and caught the attention of industrialist Harsh Goenka, who shared the video on X (formerly Twitter) to reflect on shifting financial priorities.

“Some people sell gold to buy a house. Some sell it for their children’s future. This Delhi man sold family gold passed down from his grandmother and great-grandmother to buy his wife an iPhone 18 Pro Max,” Goenka wrote.

Social media reacts

The post triggered a sharp online divide, pitting personal choice against basic financial prudence.

Several users criticised the decision as a display of "wrong values," pointing out the poor economics of liquidating a historically appreciating asset like gold for a rapidly depreciating piece of technology that will inevitably need to be replaced.

Others took a more sarcastic stance, joking that the buyer could at least claim he was doing a public service by bringing dormant gold back into the economy's circulation.

iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max features

According to Apple, the Pro lineup comes with “the most advanced camera in an iPhone, incredible battery life, next-level performance, and Siri AI.”

“With iPhone 18 Pro, we’ve made advancements to the areas our users care about most: camera, performance, battery, and intelligence. And we didn’t just make incremental improvements in these areas — we took huge leaps forward to create the best Pro iPhone we’ve ever made,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

The VP continued, “iPhone 18 Pro makes it easy for anyone to capture stunning photos and videos using variable aperture, while providing more versatility for creators and more control for pros. Paired with impactful upgrades to Photographic Styles and powerful video capabilities, iPhone 18 Pro unlocks entirely new ways for users to express themselves.”

iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max price in India

According to Apple’s website, the iPhone 18 Pro starts at ₹1,64,900 in India, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max is priced at ₹1,79,900.

The new models are now available for purchase in India following the September 18 sales launch.

About the Author

Arshdeep Kaur is a Senior Content Producer at Mint, where she reports and edits across national and international politics, business and culture‑adjacent trending stories for digital audience. With five years in the newsroom, she strives to balance the speed and rigor of fast‑moving news cycles and longer, context‑rich explainers. <br><br> Before joining LiveMint, Arshdeep served as a Senior Sub‑Editor at Business Standard and earlier as a Sub‑Editor at Asian News International (ANI). Her experience spans live news flows, enterprise features, and multi‑platform packaging. <br><br> At Mint, she regularly writes explainers, quick takes, and visuals‑led stories that are optimized for search and social, while maintaining the publication’s standards for accuracy and clarity. She collaborates closely with editors and the audience team to frame angles that resonate with readers in India and abroad, and to translate complex developments into accessible, high‑impact journalism. <br><br> Arshdeep's academic training underpins her interest towards policy and markets. She earned an MA in Economics from Panjab University and holds a Post‑Graduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the India Today Media Institute (ITMI). This blend of economics and broadcast storytelling informs her coverage of public policy, elections, macro themes, and the consumer‑internet zeitgeist. <br><br> Arshdeep is based in New Delhi, where she tracks breaking developments and longer‑horizon storylines that shape public discourse.

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