The Apple iPhone 8 goes on sale on Friday, September 29, with prices starting at Rs 64,000 for the entry-level 64 GB variant. However, you could get the iPhone 8 for an ‘effective’ price of less than Rs 19,000 if you pick the device with a bundled deal from Reliance Jio.
The telecom operator is promising to buy back the phone after a year of usage at 70% of its value.
Here’s how the deal works.
Apple iPhone with Jio Deal
- You have to pre-book the iPhone 8 on the Jio website, or at the Jio store or Reliance Digital
- Pre-booking amount to be paid: Rs 1,999 (non-refundable, if you cancel)
- Take confirmation code and give a copy of your Aadhar card to pick up the phone and Jio connection
- Pay the full value of Rs 64,000 for the phone
- Get Rs 10,000 cashback if you use a Citibank credit card
- Book the Rs 799 monthly recharge plan on Jio which offers 3GB of data daily
- After 12 months, return the iPhone 8 to a Reliance store
- Reliance will offer vouchers for 70 percent of the phone’s value to be used within 6 months
The deal being offered by Reliance Jio seems like a good one for those looking to upgrade to an iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus. It is also useful for buyers who like to upgrade their smartphones every year.
This plan was unveiled at an event in Mumbai by Akash Ambani, chief of strategy, Reliance Jio. A video message with the announcement was played out at the event, with Apple chief Tim Cook wishing buyers of the iPhone for the festive season and endorsing this plan with Jio.
Cook also highlighted that the iPhone 8 can take dictation in Hindi. This is part of the upgrade that all users on iOS 11 operating system will get - Hindi is now one of 11 languages that the iPhone supports.
A special thanks to Mukesh and everyone at Jio for hosting the celebration for iPhone customers. We’ve added new keyboards for India so we now support 11 local languages, and iPhone now takes dictation in Hindi. We’re excited to be building so many new relationships in India, including tens of thousands of developers across the country now writing apps for iOS... Enjoy iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 plus. I wish everyone a very happy and safe Diwali.Tim Cook, CEO, Apple
The Apple iPhone 8 may have a similar form factor of the iPhone 7, but it has some significant enhancements. It comes with an all-glass body, supports wireless charging, and has a new A11 Bionic processor, which it claims is nearly 70 percent faster than the earlier one. It has an upgraded camera and sports augmented reality apps.
While the Apple iPhone is generally seen to be out of the reach of most buyers, this 70 percent buyback scheme with Reliance Jio does put it within reach of a much wider audience. The only catch is that users must use it with a Jio number with a Rs 799 per month plan, for at least a year. This effective price makes it even cheaper than the Apple iPhone SE, the made-in-India iPhone.
Also read: First Look: Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus
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