The iPhone 7 goes on pre-order in India tonight on Flipkart with these special offers

Manish Singh

Updated 29 September 2016 at 10:54 am

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f228197%2fhttps_3a_2f_2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com_2fuploads_2fcard_2fimage_2f207849_2funtitled-111-2

Apple and Flipkart will try to not disappoint Indians tonight.

Apple announced earlier this month that it has partnered with Flipkart, India’s largest ecommerce company for online sales of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Flipkart will begin taking pre-orders for the new iPhones starting midnight tonight, and we now have details on the launch offers and how Flipkart plans to handle its first iPhone pre-orders.

Cashback and exchange program

If you have a credit card with Citibank, you can get a cashback of Rs 10,000 ($150), the company said. Unfortunately, this cashback offer won't be available on any other bank in India.

Buyers can also trade-in their existing smartphones, including older iPhones. Flipkart says it will give "attractive value" for older smartphones. Exchange offers for smartphones are common on Flipkart but it is probably for the first time that any retailer is offering trade-in for a new iPhone on launch day.

As for picking the iPhone you want, Flipkart says, it will let customers pre-book any variant (including color and storage option) of their choice tonight, and it will deliver the phone by 7 p.m. on Oct. 7. Unsurprisingly, it warns that quantity will be limited for each variant. It will also provide "express delivery" in some parts of New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

Paying upfront

Sadly, you will have to pay entire amount upfront. This might annoy some who have grown accustomed to paying in cash only when the delivery has been made to them.

This is probably the first time Apple is letting Indians pre-order an iPhone online. So far, you could pre-register a unit, which meant you would be higher up in the queue for getting an iPhone but it did not guarantee whether you would get the iPhone variant you wanted on launch day itself.

This is the first time for Flipkart to be the official online retail partner with Apple. So far, the ecommerce giant had relied on third-party sellers on its marketplace to sell Apple products. With this partnership, Flipkart won't just be selling the new iPhones but will also retail all Apple products including iPads, Macs, older iPhones and accessories. This way it won't have to rely on third-party resellers and would be able to tap into Apple's distribution channel directly.

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will go on sale in India on Oct. 7. The iPhone 7 starts at Rs 60,000 ($900), whereas the base iPhone 7 Plus model is priced at Rs 72,000 ($1,080).