This is the time to buy a good smartphone for a cheap price
Ahead of the rollout of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) across the country on July 1, e-commerce portals like Amazon and Paytm recently announced promising deals on mobile phones to clear existing stocks. The latest to join their league is Flipkart, which has announced a three-day long "Own Your Dream Phone" sale.
It brings with it heavy discounts on some of the most sought-after phones available in the market. And if that isn't enough, Flipkart is also offering exchange offers and an additional five per cent discount on all purchases made using an Axis Bank credit card.
Coming on the back of Amazon's smartphone sale which saw many phones on offer with over 25 per cent discount, and Paytm's ongoing "Pre GST Sale" – with more than 6,000 retailers is arguably the biggest sale conducted by the e-commerce unit of the company – Flipkart's "Own Your Dream Phone Sale" gives customers the chance to buy high-end phones without burning a hole in their pocket.
Why pre GST sales are a win-win for smartphone buyers
But it's not only these sales that should spur you on to buy a new phone before the new GST rules kick in.
Starting July 1, taxes on many products will significantly rise. With the new GST regime in place, prices of electronics, especially products such as televisions, cameras, ACs and refrigerators will change.
Smartphone prices are also set to rise by 4-5 per cent under the GST system as locally manufactured devices – estimated to be around 80 per cent of the phones sold in the market – will become more expensive as they currently are levied with a lower tax rate due to benefits provided for local manufacturing.
Imported phones also could end up costing more, with the government mulling an additional 15 per cent basic customs duty (BCD) on the import of finished mobile handsets.
Needless to say, these grand sales by e-commerce giants, coupled with the fact that mobiles could see price hikes by the turn of the month make this a great time for customers looking to buy a new smartphone.
So if buying a smartphone has been on your agenda, then wait no more. Head over to your nearest brick and mortar store or any of the e-commerce portals right now.
For those interested, Flipkart is in its second day of the "Own Your Dream Phone Sale". Here are all the best offers:
iPhones
For many smartphone buyers, devices from the iPhone lineup represent the ultimate dream phone. If you're one of them, Flipkart's sale is good news for you.
The sale brings great offers on multiple iPhones with the high end 128GB 7 Plus and 7 currently being sold at a 26 per cent discount. 256GB and 32GB storage variants of the phones are being sold at 18-22 per cent discount. Flipkart is also running another promotional offer under which customers can exchange their old Android or iPhones for an additional discount of up to Rs 15,000 while buying a new phone.
The previous generation iPhone 6s Plus is also on sale at 28 per cent discount and can be bought for Rs 40,999, while the iPhone 6, has been priced at Rs 25,999 – down from its previous price of Rs 30,700. The exchange offer is also available with these phones.
Google Pixel
Google's favourite Android smartphone, the Pixel is also getting favourable treatment from Flipkart. The e-commerce portal is offering customers a 29 per cent discount on the 32GB storage variant of the phone. The phone is currently retailing at Rs 39,999 down from Rs 57,000. The price puts it in the same bracket as the newly announced 128GB variant of the OnePlus 5 which is available on Amazon for Rs 37,999.
For users looking for a stock Android experience with timely updates, Pixel with Android 7.1.1, Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 quad-core processor, 4GB RAM and 5-inch display 1080p display is a very good choice.
However, if you're looking for more storage space, the Pixel XL with 128GB storage is available for Rs 58,999 – a 22 per cent discount on its original price of Rs 76k.
Offers on Motorola smartphones
These great offers have also been extended to Motorola phones which are also selling with over 20 per cent discount. The Moto Z with Style Mod is retailing for a flat Rs 10k discount on its Rs 39,000 list price. However, users can snap it up for as low as Rs 13,000 using the Rs 17k exchange offer on the phone.
Flipkart is also selling the popular mid segment phone Moto X Play at an attractive price. A 27 per cent discount on the phone sees it retailing for Rs 13,499.