Archive image update — 16 October 2026: This historical article now uses a new original AI-assisted editorial illustration created exclusively for this story by Taaza Khabar. It is symbolic artwork, not a documentary photograph, an actual sky chart or an exact product rendering. The original publication date is retained.
There were long queues outside Apple’s flagship stores in Mumbai and Delhi as the iPhone 16 series hit the Indian markets today.
Mumbai:
Long queues outside flagship Apple stores in Mumbai and Delhi today marked the beginning of the iPhone 16 sale in India. But as hundreds waited, one smart customer ditched the queue and got his phone delivered online within minutes right outside the Apple store in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex.
Sharing the incident on X, formerly Twitter, a user named Swapnil Sinha wrote, “What?!?, this guy standing in front of me in the queue just ordered the iPhone 16 online. Q-commerce is going too far.”
Apple iPhone 16 series sale is also live on quick-commerce platforms like Blinkit, Zepto, BigBasket and Flipkart Minutes.
One user lamented, saying, “Where did he get it from? I’ve been standing in line for so long.”
Another wanted to know the name of the quick commerce service, to which Swapnil said it was Flipkart Minutes.
A person reacted to the post asking if the iPhone buyer was in the queue for a purchase or to complete a task.
Social media was impressed with the delivery speed. “Yeh delivery wala bhi koi secret superhero hi lag raha hai!” said one of them.
Another witty comment read, “India is not for beginners, and also not for impatient people!”.
The iPhone 16 series sale had drawn customers from all over the country, with many travelling to Delhi and Mumbai to buy the phone from Apple’s flagship stores.
A large crowd gathered overnight to buy the newly launched device from the Apple store in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, sporting the tech giant’s largest-ever displays of 6.3 and 6.9 inches, were the most sought-after models.
A similar crowd was also spotted outside the Apple Saket store in New Delhi.
Apple unveiled their flagship iPhone 16 Series – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max – at its annual ‘It’s Glowtime’ launch event on September 9.
Among the new features is the Action button, in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, which allows users to perform various functions such as identifying songs, launching translation app
