iPhone Duo Price: Santy Sharma’s ‘Sell a Kidney’ Joke Goes Viral
Indian rapper and digital creator Santy Sharma has joined the online reaction to Apple’s first foldable iPhone with a joke about selling a kidney to afford the device.
Sharma shared an AI-generated image showing himself holding an iPhone Duo while appearing to have a surgical scar on his abdomen. The visual played on the familiar internet joke that an exceptionally expensive smartphone could require someone to “sell a kidney.”
The post was presented as satire, not as a genuine claim that Sharma had sold an organ.
Sharma captioned the post, “iPhone Duo itna mehenga hai ki maine socha!” and described it as a sarcastic, AI-generated take on the phone’s price. Multiple reports have identified the image and caption as part of his social-media post.
Apple’s foldable iPhone starts at ₹2,99,900 in India
The joke followed Apple’s September 9 unveiling of the iPhone Duo, the company’s first foldable iPhone.
Apple says the device opens into a 7.6-inch inner display and has a 5.4-inch outer display when folded. It is available in Star White and Night Sky and comes with storage options ranging from 256GB to 2TB.
In India, the iPhone Duo starts at ₹2,99,900 for the 256GB model. The price rises to ₹3,24,900 for 512GB, ₹3,74,900 for 1TB and ₹4,49,900 for the 2TB version.
That starting price has quickly become one of the biggest talking points surrounding the phone in India, with social-media users drawing comparisons between the cost of the foldable and cars, motorcycles and other major purchases.
The phone starts at $1,999 in the United States, according to Apple.
A familiar internet joke gets an AI makeover
The “sell a kidney” line is not new. It has been used online for years as an exaggerated way of describing products considered prohibitively expensive.
Sharma’s post gives the familiar joke a visual twist by using generative AI to place the supposed consequence directly into the image.
The image is not evidence of an actual medical procedure or organ sale. Reports from Mint and NDTV Profit both identified it as an AI-generated satirical post.
The distinction matters because the image itself is designed to look realistic enough to resemble a photograph. Sharma’s accompanying description makes clear that the intended context is humour.
Why the iPhone Duo price has attracted attention
Apple’s entry into the foldable-phone market is itself a major change for the iPhone lineup.
The company says the Duo is its thinnest iPhone when opened and uses a new foldable design with a large internal display. It also features Apple’s A20 Pro chip and a redesigned software experience built around the two-screen format.
But the price has dominated much of the early online conversation in India.
At ₹2,99,900, even the entry-level Duo sits well above the price of Apple’s conventional flagship smartphones. The top 2TB version reaches ₹4,49,900, giving social-media users plenty of material for comparisons and memes.
The reaction has extended beyond Sharma. Other social-media posts have also revived the kidney joke, with some users taking the exaggeration further by joking about needing more than one organ to pay for the phone.
When will the iPhone Duo go on sale in India?
The iPhone Duo is not yet on sale in India.
Apple says pre-orders will begin on October 16, with availability starting October 23 in India and other initial launch markets.
That gives consumers several weeks to consider whether the foldable design and larger display justify its premium price.
For now, Sharma’s post is best understood as a humorous reaction to that price rather than a serious statement about Apple, organ donation or his own health.
The broader conversation around the iPhone Duo is likely to continue as Apple moves closer to its October retail launch.
