If you have to spend 15k, don't do it on iPhone 5S
The world is moving on to newer smartphones every day. But if you are one who finds it difficult to let go of old obsessions, this new offer is for you. One of the most iconic Apple devices of all time, the iPhone 5S, is most likely to be yours for just Rs 15,000. Of course, that's cheaper by Apple standards, but exorbitant for a phone that is horribly outdated.
According to a report in Economic Times, Apple is likely to sell iPhone 5S – a phone that was launched in September, 2013 - at Rs 15,000, as part of an online offer. The report also adds that the company’s distributors have already informed the retail stores that the iPhone 5S will soon be available online-only, and that its supply is being eased out.
At present, most retailers and online portals price the iPhone 5S at Rs 18,000.
“Apple wanted to have one iPhone model with an aggressive pricing in India and was banking on the company-certified refurbished models. But now that the proposal has been stuck down by the government, it is betting on the iPhone 5S,” said an Apple executive in the report.
According to Tarun Pathak, the associate director of Counterpoint Research, this is likely to be a good move in India since the budget-friendly smartphones are widely popular here.
Of course, offers like these make complete sense, on Apple’s part. After all, India is an important market for the Cupertino-based tech giant. According to several reports in February, 2017, Apple’s Taiwanese manufacturing partner Wistron is setting up a plant at Peenya in Bangalore to manufacture, or assemble iPhones.
So far, Apple hasn’t worked out the best in Indian markets.
According to a Financial Times report, the average smartphone in India costs $145, compared with $400 for the average iPhone in India. An Apple executive said that the move will help Apple continue the high pace of growth in India since iPhone sales typically start flattening out from around May-June until the launch of new models around October. Online sales account for 50-55 per cent of iPhone sales in India, compared with about 30 per cent for the industry.
And yet, there is no doubt that the iPhone 5S is a dated model. In fact, people who prefer the comfort of the phone’s unique size should actually opt for the iPhone SE, a phone that has the same look-and-feel, but with a rather powerful hardware upgrade, for a price that is not way out of reach - the iPhone SE 16GB variant is available for Rs 19,999 and the 64GB one for Rs 25,999.
The iPhone SE comes with a 4-inch display and a resolution of 640x1136 pixels. The phone has 2GB of RAM. The 12 megapixel primary camera is pretty great, whereas the 1.2 megapixel front camera is mediocre at best. The phone runs on iOS 9.3.
The phone is definitely a rather decent upgrade from the now-completely obsolete 5S. The RAM is a significant improvement, as is the battery (1624mAh compared to the older 1560mAh).
In fact, with special cash back offers, even the iPhone SE is likely to cost the same.
According to reports of an offer in March 2017, customers would be offered a Rs 5,000 cash back on purchase of an iPhone SE if the transaction is completed using a credit or debit card (limited only to HSBC, ICICI Bank, Indusind Bank, Kotak, RBL Bank, SBI, Standard Chartered, UBI, Axis Bank, Citibank, HDFC Bank, and Yes Bank).
But even without the cash back offer, it's a bargain.
It is clear as day, to anyone with half a brain, that this is nothing more than a clever ploy to get rid of old stock of a phone that is lost in the ever-updating smartphone era. In fact, if you are going to spend that money, and you are not an Android person (or that you are too set in your ways to move away from Apple), it is more than recommended that you go for the iPhone SE. A few thousands extra will save you a lot of woes.