A flagship iPhone dropping by more than Rs 50,000 isn’t normal. Yet that’s exactly what’s playing out on Flipkart right now. During Big Billion Days 2025, the iPhone 16 Pro is listed at Rs 69,999 (down from Rs 1,19,900), and the iPhone 16 Pro Max at Rs 89,999 (down from Rs 1,44,900). For buyers who usually wait a full year for meaningful cuts, this is the sort of deal that resets expectations for premium phones in India.
The sale kicked off on September 23 and continues with Flipkart’s heavy push on high-end devices. The company is also leaning on its ‘Price Lock Pass’ and ‘Lowest Price Lock’ tools—features it started two years ago with the iPhone 14 Plus and expanded last year to the iPhone 15 Plus—to keep prices from bouncing back after the first rush. If you’ve ever watched a headline deal vanish at midnight during early access for VIP or Black members, you know why these locks matter.
What’s actually cheaper—and by how much
Here’s the headline: iPhone 16 Pro at Rs 69,999 is a cut of Rs 49,901 from the launch price. iPhone 16 Pro Max at Rs 89,999 is more than Rs 54,000 off. These are among the steepest India-market reductions we’ve seen on current-generation Pro iPhones during a major sale window.
There are a few practical details to keep in mind. First, sale tags usually apply to the base storage variant; higher storage options often carry smaller effective cuts. Second, color choices can run out fast—graphite or natural finishes typically hold longer than season-specific shades. Third, watch the price tile carefully: marketplaces sometimes show a headline sale price and then layer extra reductions via bank or exchange offers; other times, what you see is the flat sale price. Read the breakup at checkout so you know what’s guaranteed versus what depends on card eligibility or a working trade-in.
Flipkart’s ‘Price Lock Pass’ and ‘Lowest Price Lock’ are the other big levers this year. The pitch is simple: reserve the deal while the tag is live so the number doesn’t change on you later. It’s built for the first 24–48 hours of a blockbuster sale, when pricing can be most volatile and early-access windows can squeeze general buyers. If you’re serious about buying, lock it, then complete the order once you’ve sorted payment and exchange.
The phones themselves are still very much 2025 flagships. The iPhone 16 Pro series runs on Apple’s A18 Pro chipset, brings ProMotion and Super Retina XDR displays, and captures 4K video at 60fps. Computational photography is the quiet star here—low light, skin tones, HDR balance, and real-time rendering have come a long way since the iPhone 14 era. If you shoot a lot of video, the Pro Max’s sensor and stabilization advantages are why creators tend to lean that way, even if the Pro is lighter and easier to handle day to day.
Why Flipkart is going this hard—and what buyers should watch
Two things are colliding. Apple’s next cycle—the iPhone 17 series—is on the horizon, which usually nudges channel partners to clear shelves. At the same time, Big Billion Days is Flipkart’s biggest moment to win attention in the premium tier, where switching decisions are sticky. When the price delta between Pro iPhones and Android flagships narrows this much, people who were on the fence often jump.
This also signals how fiercely India’s premium market now moves around festival sales. Over the past few seasons, shoppers have grown used to blockbuster iPhone deals during BBD and competing events, but seeing an all-new Pro dip under Rs 70,000 is still rare. It puts pressure on rival flagships and even on last year’s iPhones, which suddenly look less compelling unless their tags fall further.
Before you smash the buy button, a quick checklist helps:
- Confirm variant and seller: Stick to verified, high-rated sellers and Flipkart Assured listings to avoid delivery or warranty headaches.
- Check what the price includes: Is the sale tag flat, or is it factoring in a specific bank card or exchange value? Make sure you qualify.
- Use a price lock if you’re certain: It protects you against the classic midnight jump during early access windows.
- Plan the exchange: Back up, unpair wearables, and clear iCloud sign-in. A clean trade-in speeds delivery and avoids valuation disputes.
- Look at return and replacement windows: Open-box approvals, damage checks, and DOA policies matter, especially with high-value phones.
There’s another thing to note. Marketplace pricing is not the same as Apple’s official retail price. Apple rarely changes the sticker mid-cycle; what you’re seeing is an aggressive event-led discount from the platform, which can revert after the sale ends or stock dries up. That’s why the ‘lock now, pay later’ playbook exists—so you don’t get caught by a price swing even a few hours later.
For many buyers, the choice will come down to use case. If you want a lighter device with the full Pro feature set, the 16 Pro at this tag is hard to argue with. If you shoot long-form video, game heavily, or want the larger canvas, the 16 Pro Max at Rs 89,999 is the better long-term pick. Either way, the value proposition is unusually strong for a current-generation Pro iPhone in India.
The context around timing matters too. As Apple gears up for the next launch cycle, channel partners prefer not to carry deep inventories of this year’s Pros into the festive tail-end. Dumping stock isn’t the point; converting fence-sitters at scale is. These cuts do exactly that, while creating splashy headlines that drive traffic across the site—where add-ons like accessories, wearables, and extended warranties often balance the margins.
Expect volatility while the sale is live. Popular colors and base variants usually go first. Delivery slots can stretch in metro clusters. And prices can move in both directions based on inventory, time of day, and how many buyers hit checkout at once. If the number looks good to you and you’re set on the device, act quickly and keep screenshots of the price and offer breakdown until the phone is delivered and activated.
Bottom line for shoppers: This is one of those rare festival windows where timing beats patience. If you’ve been waiting on a Pro-level iPhone without paying launch money, Big Billion Days 2025 is as close to a green light as the Indian market gets.