External hard drives can appear expensive in India compared to global prices due to factors like import duties, taxes, and the overall cost of doing business in the Indian market. Additionally, the specific type of external storage (HDD or SSD) and its capacity significantly impact the price. While HDDs are generally cheaper, SSDs offer faster performance and greater reliability at a higher cost, according to Lenovo.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

Import Duties and Taxes: India has a high import duty on electronics, which directly increases the price of imported goods like external hard drives.

Cost of Doing Business: The cost of running a business in India, including infrastructure, labor, and logistics, can contribute to higher prices.

HDD vs. SSD:

HDDs (Traditional Hard Disk Drives): These are generally more affordable and offer larger storage capacity, making them ideal for backup and archiving.
SSDs (Solid State Drives): SSDs provide faster data transfer speeds and greater reliability but are more expensive per GB. They are a good choice for laptops or as a primary storage drive in a desktop.

Market Demand and Competition: The Indian market for external storage is relatively competitive, with various brands offering different price points. However, demand for specific types of storage (like high-capacity HDDs for AI) can also lead to price fluctuations, according to reports.

Storage Capacity: Larger external hard drives will naturally cost more, but they also offer more storage space per dollar.