ChatGPT warns! Don't fall for this iPhone 16 exchange offer at ₹33,400 on Amazon – Hindustan Times
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Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup is still weeks away from launch, but early exchange deals are already stirring up a frenzy online. One such deal on Amazon suggests you can “upgrade” from your iPhone 15 to the iPhone 16 for ₹33,400: after factoring in ₹46,590 as exchange value for your current device. And we decided to ask ChatGPT about this “deal”.
At first glance, this looks tempting. A brand-new iPhone 16 for nearly half the retail price? Sounds like a win, until you dig deeper.
iPhone 16 at ₹33,400 exchange offer: What’s the deal?
iPhone 16 launched on September 9, 2024, has landed on Amazon India with a tempting discount. Note that we are just a couple months from the launch of iPhone 17. Originally priced at Rs. 79,990 for the 128GB base variant, Rs. 89,990 for the 256GB, and Rs. 1,09,990 for the 512GB model, the new iPhone is now part of Amazon’s Great Freedom Festival Sale.
Currently, the 128GB iPhone 16 in Black is listed at Rs. 72,400, offering a 9 percent markdown. But what’s turning heads is Amazon’s bundled exchange offer. Users trading in a well-kept iPhone 15 can receive up to Rs. 35,000 as buyback value, effectively slashing the price to Rs. 37,400.
Add to this an SBI credit card discount of up to Rs. 4,000, and the final cost can drop to Rs. 33,400, making it one of the most aggressively priced flagship upgrade deals on paper.
ChatGPT warns that the maths doesn’t justify the move
ChatGPT, when asked to assess this so-called offer, labelled it a “marketing-led incremental swap deal” designed to exploit user FOMO (fear of missing out) rather than offer genuine value. In simple terms, you are being nudged into spending this amount on an upgrade that doesn’t offer significant real-world benefits for most users.
The real issue? As per the suggestion of ChatGPT, the maths doesn’t justify the move. It mentions, “You’re trading a perfectly capable phone and adding ₹33,400 just to stay “current.” That’s not a value buy. That’s just Apple’s branding and Amazon’s pricing psychology at play.”
This tactic also employs what experts call price anchoring. Setting a high perceived value ( ₹79,990), offering a heavy exchange value ( ₹46,590), and framing the remaining ₹33,400 as a small price to pay. But in reality, it’s still a premium for a barely incremental upgrade.
What advice did ChatGPT give? “Unless your iPhone 15 is damaged, this deal is best avoided.” It further said that if you’re holding anything older than an iPhone 13, you may consider it. But for everyone else, this is just an expensive game of keeping up appearances.
