Smartphones on installments: Pakistanis may start purchasing PTA-approved iPhones

WEB DESK: The process of providing smartphones to customers through easy installments is set to commence soon, according to an announcement by the Caretaker Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Dr Umar Saif, earlier this month.

In November, the IT minister said that cellular operators, banks, and investment companies are keen on offering smartphones on installments.

However, a necessary mechanism is required to ensure that these organisations do not incur losses and that this facility can effectively reach the people.

The minister believes that offering smartphones on easy installments will boost demand, benefiting both the mobile phone manufacturing industry and the country’s economy.

This initiative is particularly significant for a large number of Pakistanis who were unable to afford high-end phones such as the Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy flagship series.

Some individuals who managed to acquire iPhones often resorted to purchasing non-PTA-approved phones.

The installment initiative aims to enable people to purchase PTA-approved phones and pay the amount in installments without facing a financial burden.

This is crucial as individuals may now consider buying PTA and tax-paid phones instead of JV and patched phones, which have gained popularity in the Pakistani second-hand mobile market due to their lower prices compared to officially approved and tax-paid phones.

Despite the high prices of iPhones and the Samsung Galaxy series in Pakistan, with limited options available for Pakistanis, recently launched phones like the Realme C51 provide more affordable alternatives.

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Priced at Rs30,000, the Realme C51 offers features such as 33W fast charging, a 50 MP camera, and 8GB of dynamic RAM, originally 4GB but boosted to 8GB, with a ROM of 128GB.

Another budget-friendly phone gaining popularity in Pakistan is the Vivo Y53s, priced at Rs41,000. It comes with 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and supports 33W fast charging.

Despite not being flagship smartphones and their relatively high prices, these phones are gaining popularity due to increased advertising on social media apps and Pakistani websites.

Once the government officially launches the initiative as promised by Umar Saif, it is expected that brands like OPPO, Huawei, VIVO, Realme, and Infinix will offer smartphones to customers on easy installments.

This may lead to increased interest in purchasing high-end phones, such as the recently launched PTA-approved Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung S22 Ultra.