Airtel is offering iPhone 7 at Rs 19,990 but read the fine-print carefully

One reason why iPhones make it big in western markets but fail to capture a substantial amount of the market here in India is because of carrier options. But the Cupertino Giant has analysed the potential of the market and has tied up with Airtel to offer the new iPhone 7 at prices as low as Rs 19,990.

Though it might seem like a steal-deal, there are a lot of terms and conditions involved with the offer. Make sure you read the fine-print details before signing up for any of the offers.

For starters, the user will be bound to the Airtel network  without an option to port or switch SIMs in the device.

Secondly, the user will have to pay a pre-set monthly bill for the following year.

Thirdly, by the end of that year, the user will either have a choice of upgrading to the latest iPhone or to pay a Balloon payment to completely own the iPhone 7 and stop using the carrier as a contract.

The Airtel monthly plan details are as follows:

Rs. 1,999: 5GB 3G/4G Internet+ unlimited calling (local, STD and roaming: mobile & fixed lines)Rs. 2,999: 10GB 3G/4G Internet+ unlimited calling (local, STD and roaming: mobile & fixed lines)Rs. 3,999: 15GB 3G/4G Internet+ unlimited calling (local, STD and roaming: mobile & fixed lines)

The down payment ranges from Rs 19,990  for the iPhone 7 32GB and goes on till Rs 43,972 for the iPhone 7 Plus 256GB model.

In case the user wants to stop using the services altogether, they will have to pay the remainder price, which was otherwise being paid by Bajaj Finance Ltd (BFL), and also pay a fine to the financing company.

So far, Airtel has launched the offer in New Delhi and Karnataka but will expand to other states depending on the reaction of the customers in these two territories.

Here's a list of tariffs and down payments required to purchase the device: