Apple’s iPhone 5C and 5S debuted in India on 1st of November. Along with the official launch of these Apple phones, we also witnessed launch of several other operator locked plans by Airtel and Reliance, among which the one by Reliance turned out to be the most attractive and tempting to many. Despite being about a month since the launch of these bundled plans, many people are still unaware of the actual charges to be paid and the catch, if any, involved with these carrier locked plans. Here in this post, we will try to demystify the actual cost involved behind the so-called free iPhone plans by Reliance.
Pricing:
First thing first, lets check out the pricing of the phones with and without contract.
| iPhone 5C (16 GB) |
iPhone 5C (32 GB) |
iPhone 5S (16 GB) |
iPhone 5S (32 GB) |
iPhone 5S (64 GB) |
|
| Down Payment | 0 | 11,600 | 0 | 10,992 | 19,992 |
| Monthly EMI/Fees (24 months) | 2,599 | 2,599 | 2,999 | 2,999 | 2,999 |
| You Pay in Total | 62,376 | 73,976 | 71,976 | 82,968 | 91,968 |
| Price without Contract | 41,900 | 53,500 | 53,500 | 62,500 | 71,500 |
| Excess amount you pay under contract | 20,476 | 20,476 | 18,476 | 20,468 | 20,468 |
| Excess amount paid monthly (Excess amount/24) | 853.17 | 853.17 | 769.84 | 852.84 | 852.84 |
What you get?
As you can see, if you go for the iPhone bundled plan with Reliance, you end up paying almost 20.5 K INR extra during the entire period which sums up to approx Rs. 850 per month. But the best part of paying the additional 850 bucks is that, you get unlimited SMS, calls, data (3G where applicable) and unlimited national roaming which sums up that you won’t have to pay anything in addition to the above plan if you’re not going to make any ISD calls or planning to go for an international roaming. When it comes to the 3G data capping, good news is usage which is definitely a great deal to go for if you’re someone who can leverage the benefits given to you under this plan.
Catch:
Well, so far everything seems too good to be true, but unfortunately this great deal from Reliance isn’t as simple as it looks and comes with a couple of catch. Here are they:
- The offer isn’t as simple as it looks to be. You cannot simply walk into a Reliance store and ask for an iPhone just by paying Rs. 2,599. You’ll need a credit card with credit limit equivalent to the total price you’ve to pay by the end of the contract. For example, if you wish to purchase 16 GB iPhone 5C then you’ll need at least Rs. 62,376 worth of credit limit on your card.
- The final amount (Rs. 62,376 in this case) will be blocked from your card limit, and it’ll be released on monthly basis as and when you pay your monthly installment for the phone
- The unlimited free 3G data is applicable only for the 13 circles where Reliance has license to provide 3G data services. Users in other circles will have to manage with 2G data since Reliance do not have 3G data tie-ups with any other operators outside its licensed areas.
- Further disappointment for many credit card holders is that, it will work with credit cards only by certain banks which includes – ICICI, HDFC, CITI and Standard Chartered Bank.
- Since the launch of 4G is around the corner, it’s big a commitment to go for these 24 months plans as you cannot end the contract in the middle of the contract period.
- Interest rates: You will even have to bear heavy interest from your credit card company on reducing basis.
- The unlimited calling, SMS & mobile data cannot be used for commercial purpose.
Our Verdict:
The free iPhone offer, as claimed by Reliance, sure sounds too tempting initially, but as a customer we would have appreciated if Reliance made it clear about the hidden charges and credit card requirements upfront. Having been said that, if you’re someone who can make use of the unlimited national roaming, calls, SMS & 3G data offered by Reliance under the scheme then you may consider buying an iPhone 5C since Apple iPhone 5C price in India (16 GB version) costs Rs. 41,900 and under this offer you pay an additional amount of Rs. 20,476 (plus credit card interest rates) which comes to Rs. 853 approximately per month. Apart from that you also get a discount of Rs. 6,000 on the final price of Rs. 62,376 if you make the payment upfront and do not go for the installment scheme.
If the you’re fine with the above terms and conditions and you do not mind paying the hefty amount by the end of the 2 years contract period, you can go ahead and apply for the same from Reliance website.
Thank god Apple has discontinued this plastic body phones, they aren’t worth buying. I bought an 5c white 16 gb version and without a back cover it was full of scratches in just a week. The glossy look doesn’t go with Apple, it would have been better if the plastic body was a matte. I feel they have put the same plastic that was used on earlier MacBooks!