Smartphone in Online Sale: Most of the customers compare the MRP and offer price shown during the sale.

(Note these things before buying a smartphone online)

Smartphones in Online Sale: It's often seen that people wait for online sales to buy a new smartphone. Sales on e-commerce sites like Flipkart and Amazon often offer affordable smartphones . But have you ever wondered how you can find such cheap phones during sales? It's worth noting that buying a phone at a steep discount isn't always profitable.

Compare with launch price.

For your information, most customers compare the MRP and the offer price displayed during sales. However, the correct comparison should be made with the phone's launch price. This reveals that many smartphones are still selling above their initial price or are available at very small discounts.

Revealed in the report

In fact, TechArc's observation of 50 smartphones from 10 brands revealed this trend. According to the report, by June 2026, 68% of smartphones were selling at prices higher than their launch prices even before the sale began. Furthermore, even after the Amazon and Flipkart sales ended, most smartphones remained priced higher than their launch prices. This same pattern was also observed for brands like OnePlus, Samsung, Nothing, and Lava.

Why do prices rise before a sale?

For your information, global memory chip and storage component prices have steadily increased throughout 2026. The growing demand for AI data centers has impacted the supply of memory used in smartphones, leading companies to increase device prices. This is why companies have increased smartphone prices before sales and reduced them during sales.

This trend was seen in Samsung phones.

Now, when it comes to Samsung's flagship smartphones, a similar trend has been observed. The Galaxy S25's launch price was ₹80,999, while it was available for ₹56,999 during the Flipkart GOAT Sale. The biggest discount was seen on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. This phone was available on Amazon for ₹84,999, compared to its launch price of ₹1,29,999, representing an actual discount of approximately 34.6%.

According to TechArc, Samsung's flagship S-series models received an average discount of 24.7%. However, this same benefit wasn't seen on budget phones like the F-series and M-series, where the increased cost was passed directly on to users.

OnePlus models get fewer discounts.

For your information, this trend has also been seen in OnePlus's new smartphones. The OnePlus 15R's 12+256GB variant was initially priced at ₹47,999. Its list price was later increased to ₹54,999. During the Amazon Prime Day sale, it was available for ₹48,999 after a ₹3,000 bank discount.

Now, compared to the increased list price, this represents a discount of approximately 10.9%. However, compared to the launch price, customers still had to pay approximately 2.1% more. This means that the apparent discount did not translate into actual savings.

Keep these things in mind.

If you're considering a new smartphone, it's important to keep a few key things in mind. Always compare the phone's launch price and current sale price. Furthermore, don't base your decision solely on the MRP and discount percentage. Also, be sure to review the terms and conditions of bank offers and EMI offers. Purchases should be made after reviewing the past price history. Therefore, if you're considering a new phone, keep these things in mind.