Apple iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus India pre-bookings open: Here are the offers

Apple iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus pre-bookings are now open in India: Here’s a look at some schemes being offered by Flipkart, Reliance Jio, Amazon India. (Source: Reuters)

Apple’s iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus pre-bookings are now open in India, though the phones will officially be in stores from September 29. Apple iPhone 8 goes on sale today in countries like US, UK, China, Australia and others, which are part of the first wave of the launch. This is the first time we’re seeing the iPhones launch in India so quickly, in just a week after the global launch.

Flipkart, Amazon, Reliance Jio are all accepting pre-bookings for the iPhone 8 series, and here’s a look at the details, offers from some of the players.

Apple iPhone 8 pre-booking offers on Flipkart  

Those who pre-book the iPhone 8 on Flipkart can get an extra Rs 3000 off over the regular exchange value. This is valid if you are trading in an old working smartphone to get discount on the price of your new iPhone 8. For users with older iPhones, exchange offers are a good way to get extra discount given these tend to fetch a higher price compared to older Android smartphones.

Flipkart says pre-orders placed on or before September 26 will be delivered by September 30. The list of cities for deliveries is Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad. Flipkart will offer extra 10% off to users with SBI debit and credit cards. Those who use PhonePe for payments will get 10 per cent cashback on payments. Axis Bank Buzz credit card users will get 5 per cent discount.

Finally, Citi Bank Credit and World Debit Card holders can claim Rs 10,000 cashback for their payments. This offer is valid only till September 29, 2017 and does not apply on any Citi Corporate credit cards.

Apple iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus have a JioBuyback offer with up to 70 per cent on original price of the device. (Source: Reuters)

Apple iPhone 8 pre-bookings on Amazon India, Jio Buyback offer 

Amazon India has sets of offers for the pre-bookings. One is including the 70 per cent buyback guarantee with Reliance Jio, and the other is without the Jio buyback option. Before hitting pre-book a user will have to tap on either of the two options to pick which one suits their preference.

In the Jio Buyback offer with the seller is Reliance Digital Xpress. According to the terms and conditions of this offer, the “Buyback Value” of the iPhone 8 means 70 per cent of the invoice value (excluding taxes). Only iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are eligible models and a user has to purchase them from Reliance Stores, Jio.com, Myjio app or Amazon India to claim this.

When handing back the device, users will have to make sure the iPhone is in a working condition. It should be unlocked from the connected iCloud/Apple ID account, and there should be no major damage to the outer body. The original box, accessories and eligibility certificate issued by Reliance Digital will also have to be shown when trying to claim the offer.

The buyback offer can be claimed from September 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018, which is around the period when the next iPhone series comes out. Users who buy with Reliance Jio buyback will have to use the Jio SIM on this and get recharge of Rs 799 for the iPhone 8 series.  CitiBank Citi Credit and Citi World Debit card users will get Rs 10,000 cashback. There’s no cashback for HDFC Bank card users in this deal.

However, for those buying without the Jio cashback, the 10 per cent cashback deal with HDFC Bank debit and credit card will be valid. The Rs 10,000 extra off on exchange is what applies in this case. This is for those who wish to exchange an old smartphone, including iPhone for the new device. Once again deliveries start from September 29 for Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.

Apple iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8 will be available in stores in India from September 29. (Source: Reuters)

Apple iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus price in India, specifications 

Apple iPhone 8 starts at Rs 64,000 for the 64GB variant, Rs 77,000 for the 256GB version. Apple iPhone 8 Plus is priced at Rs 73,000 for the 64GB version and Rs 86,000 for the 256GB version. Both phones sport a glass back design, but the wireless charger will have to be purchased separately.

Apple iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus are powered by the A11 Bionic chip with six cores. The smaller iPhone 8 has the same 4.7-inch Retina LCD display, 12MP rear camera and a 7MP front camera as seen on the previous iPhone 7. The Plus version has 5.5-inch Retina Display and 12MP+12MP rear camera and 7MP front camera. Apple’s iPhone 8 Plus also supports Portrait Light Mode (beta) unlike the iPhone 7 Plus.