If you are in the market to buy a flagship phone but have been in two minds whether to go for Android or the iPhone, well, you are in luck, Apple has a proposition, which you simply cannot refuse. American technology major has announced a major promotional offer on iPhone XR this summer in India.

Apple is offering iPhone XR, which the base model (64GB) costs Rs 76,900 for just Rs 59,900, that's Rs 17,000 reduction. Guess what! HDFC credit and debit cardholders are entitled to get a further 10% cash back, thus reducing the selling price to Rs 53,900.

This offer is valid on all three storage variants—64GB, 128GB and 256GB—of the iPhone XR. It starts on April 5 for a limited time till stocks last.

Apple, iPhone XR, PRODUCT RED, World AIDS Day
Apple iPhone XR PRODUCT (RED) looks gorgeous in the crimson shade

Is Apple iPhone XR worth buying?

Absolutely yes! The iPhone XR runs Apple's proprietary A12 Bionic chipset, which is the world's most powerful and advanced chipset for mobile in the industry. The camera hardware too is amazing and offers the best live portrait feature, which a very few in the market can come close to match it.

Having used the iPhone XR (review) for a month, I have to confess it is best of the lot announced in 2018 by Apple. Yes, iPhone XS & the iPhone XS Max have some superiority over the latter, but you won't miss much. Most importantly, the iPhone XR has the best battery life and comes with the most beautiful vivid colour options than any other mobile series or even Android phones for that matter. It comes in white, black, blue, yellow, coral and (PRODUCT) RED edition.

Promotional pricing details of Apple iPhone XR:

Model MRP Price for non-HDFC customers Price for HDFC customers
iPhone XR 64GB Rs. 76,900 Rs. 59,900 Rs. 53,900
iPhone XR 128GB Rs. 81,900 Rs. 64,900 Rs. 58,400
iPhone XR 256GB Rs. 91,900 Rs. 74,900 Rs. 67,400

It can be noted that the 10% cashback on iPhone XR is available only on HDFC Bank Debit and Credit Cards. Prospective customers can also avail a No Cost EMI loans from Bajaj Finance Ltd. and HDFC Bank Consumer Loans. Also, the cashback offer has no downpayment since it is available only on credit or debit cards

Apple's game changer move to take on rivals in India

Apple,iPhone XR, review, first impression, India, launch price
Apple iPhone XR comes with bright beautiful Liquid Retina Display.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India

Having registering flat growth for over a year, Apple's latest move will definitely reinvigorate the iPhone sales in India and also threaten the emerging player such as OnePlus, which liberally borrows iPhone design and truth to be told, even its successful run in the subcontinent, is attributed to high priced iPhone. OnePlus 6T, OnePlus 6 and the models launched before them, all sold well in India, as they were the cheapest alternative to Apple mobiles.

One just OnePlus, Apple's iPhone XR promotional campaign might even spell doom for Samsung's recently launched Galaxy S10 series as well.

Now, Apple is finally taking the Indian market seriously. Last month, It's supply-partner Wistron Corp has started iPhone 7 assembling at its Bengaluru (Karnataka) plant, while other OEM supply chain Foxconn is said to be a few weeks away from starting the trial production of the iPhone X(review) at the Chennai plant in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Apple, iPhone XR, first impression, hands-on, price,
Apple iPhone XR comes in six beautiful colours.Apple website (screen-grab)

Key specifications of Apple iPhone XR:

Models iPhone XR
Display 6.1-inch LCD Liquid Retina HD screen
  • HDR display
  • Resolution:1792x828p
  • Pixel density: 326ppi (pixels per inch)
  • Contrast ratio: 1,400:1
  • True Tone Display
  • Wide colour display (P3)
  • Brightness: 625 cd/m2 max
OS Apple iOS 12
Processor 7nm class 6-core Apple A12 Bionic CPU+ 8-core Neural Engine+ 4-core GPU
Storage 64GB/128GB/256GB
Main Camera 12MP wide-angle (F1.8)
  • Optical image stabilisation
  • 5x digital zoom
  • Wide colours capture for photos and live photos
  • Quad-LED True Tone flash with Slow sync
  • Portrait mode with advanced Bokeh and depth control (F16-F1.4)
  • Portrait Lighting with three effects (Natural, Studio, Contour)
  • Smart HDR for photos
Video
  • 4K video recording at 24fps, 30fps or 60fps
  • 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps
  • Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps
  • Optical Image Stabilisation for video
  • digital zoom up to 3x
  • Slow-motion video support for 1080p at 120fps or 240 fps
  • Time-lapse video with stabilisation
  • Stereo recording
Front camera TrueDepth camera
  • 7MP photos
  • F2.2 aperture
  • Retina Flash
  • Wide colour capture for photos and Live photos
  • Smart HDR for photos
  • Portrait mode with advanced Bokeh and Depth control
  • Portrait Lighting with five effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono)
  • Extended dynamic range for video at 30fps
  • Cinematic video stabilisation (1080p and 720p)
  • 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps for 60 fps
  • Animoji and Memoji
Connectivity and Network Dual SIM Dual Standby (physical SIM+ eSIM) Gigabit-class LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, 802.11ac Wi-Fi MIMO, VoLTE, NFC with reader mode, Wi-Fi calling, GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/QZSS/ GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, CDMA EV-DO Rev, A(select models)
  • In China: iPhones will come with two physical SIM support
Battery
  • Talk time: up to 25 hours
  • Internet use: up to 15 hours
  • Video playback: up to 16 hours
  • Audio playback: up to 65 hours
  • Fast-charge capable:
  • Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
Add-ons Rated IP67 (maximum depth of 1 meter up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529, Face ID: Enabled by TrueDepth camera for facial recognition, FaceTime video and audio calling via Wi-Fi/Cellular or any FaceTime audio-enabled device
Dimensions 150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm
Weight 194g
Colours Blue/White/Black/Yellow/Coral/ Red