Airtel has just opened its online store where it is offering the Apple iPhone 7 for just Rs 7,777. However, there is a catch in the offer. The iPhone 7 value of Rs 7,777 on the Airtel website is just a downpayment and you will have to pay a monthly instalment of Rs 2,499 for 24 months. The Airtel Online Store has been launched to offer premium smartphones at affordable downpayment options. Additionally, the telecom service provider is giving away postpaid plans on data to its subscribers. While there will be a lot more mobiles available, the initial deal is on the iPhone 7 (32Gb model) which can be purchased by paying Rs 7,777. But is the offer as good at it looks? A closer look reveals that it is not.

In order to but the Apple iPhone 7, you will have to pay Rs 7,777 to Airtel initially and Rs 2,499 as monthly instalments for 2 years. The price is for the 32GB variant of the iPhone 7. Meanwhile, the 128GB model is available at Rs 16,300. Also, the iPhone 7 Plus (32GB) is priced at Rs 17,300 and iPhone 7 Plus (128GB) is available at Rs 26,000. The Rs 2,499 monthly instalment for 2 years is applicable on all of the devices. Airtel has informed that it will provide 30GB of 4G data per month to the buyers against the payment. But it is not as lucrative an offer as it sounds. In order to understand that, we need to calculate how much you will spend in 2 years on these phones.

How much will you pay for iPhone 7? Airtel offers the phone at Rs 7,777 as downpayment and Rs 2,499 monthly instalments for 24 months. This means that you will spend Rs 7,777 + (Rs 2,499 x 24) = Rs 7,777 + Rs 59,976 = Rs 67,753 on the iPhone 7 (32GB). Similarly calculated, if you buy the iPhone 7 (128GB variant), you will end up paying Rs 76,276 by the end of 2 years. For iPhone 7 Plus (32GB) you will have to pay Rs 77,276 and for the iPhone 7 Plus (128GB), it will be Rs 85,976.

Airtel says that against the Rs 2,499 the buyers will get 30GB data per month. However, the telecom company had recently announced its data packs where it has been offering 30GB of data to postpaid customers for Rs 649. For 40GB they have to pay Rs 799 and so on. Clearly, these amounts are much less than the Rs 2,499 offer. Taking this path also ensures that you are free to choose your telecom operator when you please.

Notably, Apple had recently launched the latest iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. This had led many e-commerce websites to cut the price of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus on their portals. For example, the iPhone 7 (32GB) is available for Rs 38,999 on Flipkart and Amazon. Similarly, the iPhone 7 Plus (128GB) is available at Rs 59,999. On these websites, you will get EMI options as well as exchange offers too.