Blinkit adds iPhone 18 to quick-commerce basket; Eternal shares up 2%

Shares of Eternal, the parent company of quick-commerce platform Blinkit, rose over 2% in Friday’s trade (September 18) as the platform brought Apple’s latest iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max to its quick-commerce offering in select Indian cities.

Blinkit is the quick-commerce arm of Eternal, offering on-demand delivery of groceries, daily essentials, electronics and other products.

The stock gained as much as 2.29% to ₹329.75 on the NSE.

The latest iPhone models went on sale in India on Friday, September 18, with Blinkit offering customers the option to get the devices delivered within minutes.

The move comes as quick-commerce platforms increasingly expand beyond everyday essentials into high-value electronics.

Blinkit has been expanding its quick-commerce offering beyond groceries and daily essentials, with categories such as electronics, smartphones and other high-value products gaining prominence on the platform.

Details to know

Apple has entered into a new category of foldable smartphones with Duo, which it will sell in India in the price range of around ₹3 lakh to ₹4.5 lakh apiece, matching the price of some of the top-selling Maruti Suzuki hatchback car models in the country.

Analysts estimate that iPhone Duo will be able to capture around 24% of market share in the foldable device segment, where it will compete with the Samsung Z Fold 8 series, available in India in the price range of ₹1.79 lakh to ₹2.6 lakh (1 TB storage variant) apiece.

Apple plans to start selling the ultra-premium iPhone 18 Pro in the price range of ₹1,64,900 to ₹3,14,900 apiece, and iPhone 18 Pro Max in the price range of ₹1,79,900 to ₹3,29,900 apiece, according to the company's website.

The new devices are 20%-43% more expensive compared to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

"The iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro series command a distinct premium in India, driven by underlying memory-cost inflation, specifically DRAM and NAND pricing pressures, compounded by local variables such as basic customs duties, tax structures, channel margins, and rupee depreciation," CyberMedia Research (CMR), vice president-industry research group, Prabhu Ram said.

Counterpoint research director Tarun Pathak said iPhone prices in India add 18% GST (goods and services tax), along with 5-7% forex headwinds over US prices.