Airtel, Vodafone to launch iPhone 3GS in India

Ten months after Apple iPhone 3GS was announced in the US market, the much-awaited smartphone will be available in India on March 26.

Bharti Airtel will launch iPhone 3GS on Friday to its 124 million customers in India. The 16 GB model of 3GS will cost a hefty Rs 35,500 and the 32GB model will retail at Rs 41,500. In the US, the 3GS is priced at $199 (about Rs 9,000) and $299 (about Rs 13,500) for 16GB and 32GB models, respectively, where the devices are locked to a telecom carrier’s network.

Vodafone too, is expected to launch the 3GS with iPhone-specific data plans.

Bharti Airtel is hoping to sweeten the 3GS prices, by offering 500-MB free data for 12 months. Meanwhile, the prices of iPhone 3G (8GB model) has been decreased by nearly Rs 1500 to Rs 29,500.

As compared to the iPhone 3G, the latest model brings a speedy 600MHz processor and double RAM at 256MB. As a result of which, the 3GS is consistently faster, when switching between applications or browsing the web. The new iPhone sports a 3 megapixel camera but, its imaging prowess remains limited as there is still no flash or hardware shutter key for the camera.