There is something slightly odd about this year’s festive smartphone sales. Usually, October is the time when you wait for a phone’s price to fall, compare a few models, and eventually convince yourself that this is the right time to upgrade. This year, however, the equation is not quite as straightforward. Smartphone prices have moved upwards, particularly at the premium end, while some of the prices being teased for the upcoming sales don’t look dramatically different from what we’ve already seen earlier this year. That makes the actual good deals much easier to spot. And this is where Samsung appears to be taking a rather different approach with the Amazon Great Indian Festival and Flipkart Big Billion Days sales. The upcoming deals on Samsung Galaxy phones may end up being among the most interesting ones of the festive season. Let me explain.
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Flipkart, for instance, has already started teasing some of its upcoming Samsung deals, and the numbers are certainly worth paying attention to.
The Galaxy S25 is being teased at Rs 5X,XXX, while the Galaxy S25 FE is shown at Rs 4X,XXX. The Galaxy A36, meanwhile, is being teased at Rs 2X,XXX. We obviously don’t have the final prices yet. But even these broad numbers give us a pretty good idea of where Samsung is heading with its festive sale pricing.
Take the Galaxy S25. It is a top-tier Samsung flagship from its Galaxy S series, and seeing it teased in the Rs 50,000 range is quite something. In fact, from a pricing perspective, the Galaxy S25 FE may be even more interesting for buyers who don’t want to spend upwards of Rs 50,000 but still want a phone that looks and performs high-end. A price in the Rs 40,000 range would put it in a very different position from where we’ve seen the phone so far. Then there is the Galaxy A36, a fairly capable mid-range phone. At a teased price in the range of Rs 2X,XXX, it looks quite enticing.
And this way, Samsung would have one phone aimed at buyers looking for a flagship, another for those wanting the flagship experience for less, and the A36 for people who simply want a good Galaxy phone without stretching their budget.
For all these years, the festive sales are supposed to be the time when you get the best offers and prices of the year. But after months of rising smartphone prices, buyers are understandably looking for something more than a token discount. If a phone was already available at a similar price earlier in the year, seeing it reduced by another couple of thousand rupees doesn’t exactly make it a must-buy.
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Samsung’s teased prices are different because they suggest a much bigger drop. The company could effectively be taking some of its most recognisable Galaxy phones back to price points we would normally associate with much older models. Of course, the final prices will only be known once the sale begins, and the actual deal could also depend on bank offers and other benefits.
But if these teasers are anything to go by, Samsung may have something substantial planned for the festive season this year. Because if you want a new smartphone right now, you will have to get used to paying more. However, Samsung is definitely moving in the opposite direction. And if the final prices come close to what the upcoming sale is teasing, the Galaxy S25, S25 FE, and A36 could be among the first phones worth checking this festive season.