iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus pre-bookings have commenced in India via online and offline channels. There are several iPhone 8 pre-booking offers being provided by online retailers to lure shoppers by the likes of Amazon, Flipkart, and Reliance Jio, among others. In offline retail, various authorised Apple Resellers, Redington stores, large format chains, and Jio Stores will be taking the pre-orders for the handset till September 29, when it goes on sale. Jio has also launched an exclusive telecom plan for the new iPhone 8 models. Apple also unveiled the flagship iPhone X this year, but it will arrive in India in November, along with other global markets.
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus pre-booking offers on Amazon India include exchange discount of up to Rs. 20,341; if you exchange an old iPhone model, you will get an extra Rs. 10,000 off, the e-commerce brand says (the extra discount will be included in the exchange discount). There are also no cost EMIs, 10 percent additional cashback on purchases made via HDFC Bank credit or debit cards, and the option to choose the Jio 70 percent buyback offer. Jio is also offering Rs. 10,000 cashback on Citibank cards, and a Rs. 799 plan with 90GB data, free SMSs, access to Jio apps, and free calls.
On Flipkart, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus pre-booking offers include exchange discount up to Rs. 23,000 (an extra Rs. 3,000 off on exchanging an old iPhone, price included in total discount shown on the site), 10 percent off on SBI debit and credit cards, and 5 percent on Axis Bank Buzz credit cards, 10 percent cashback on PhonePe payments, and Rs. 10,000 Citi Credit and World Debit Cards. You can also opt for 1-year buyback guarantee at Rs. 99, which provides Rs. 40,000 exchange value on return, and extended 1-year warranty on Rs. 2,695.
The Jio buyback option can also be availed from Reliance Digital, Jio.com, Jio Store, and MyJio app on pre booking iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, apart from Amazon India. It provides customers with 70 percent of the purchase price if they use the handset with Jio SIM card, and return it after a year. However, the 70 percent value is deducted on the phone's value excluding taxes. So, for example, if you purchase the 256GB iPhone 8 for Rs. 77,000, the buyback value will be calculated at Rs. 67,760, after deducting Rs. 9,240 (GST of 12 percent on the purchase price). Now the value you will get back is 70 percent of Rs. 67,760, so you will get vouchers worth Rs. 47,432 upon returning the handset. The vouchers can be used within six months, either on the next iPhone or on purchases made in Reliance Digital store.
Coming to offline retail, Redington India has confirmed that both the iPhones can be pre-ordered from any of its 3,000 stores across the country. Expect the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus to also be available for pre-orders in large format stores like Croma, Maple, Vijay Sales, and more. Offers in these retail stores will vary, and head to the nearest store tomorrow, to know more about them.
The iPhone 8 price in India for the 64GB variant is Rs. 64,000, while the 256GB model costs Rs. 77,000. Similarly, the iPhone 8 Plus price in India has been set as Rs. 73,000 for the base 64GB storage variant, while the model with 256GB storage is Rs. 86,000.
The iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus offer incremental improvements over the last year's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models. They very much retain the same form factor and design, but there are a few noticeable changes including new colour options - Silver, Space Gray, and Gold Finish, improved display, 25 percent louder speakers, as well as glass front and back. Both the new iPhone models also support Qi wireless inductive charging, allowing people charge the iPhone without having to plug in a cable again.
Apple's iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are powered by A11 Bionic SoC six-core processors and improved GPU, which is 30 percent more efficient than the GPUs in last year's models. The new SoC and GPU are able to perform complex tasks such as video encoding at much faster rate.
iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus also come with improved cameras, Apple said, adding that photos now have better detail, texture even as the iPhone 8 continues to have 12-megapixel camera, and the iPhone 8 Plus a duo of 12-megapixel camera sensors. Among other new capabilities, both the new iPhone models can shoot 1080p videos in 240 frames per second.
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