Flipkart starts taking new smartphone orders amid Covid-19 lockdown

Flipkart, last month, started delivering essential items in India after briefly suspending its services due to the lockdown enforced in the country owing to the Covid-19 outbreak. Now, Flipkart has announced that it has officially opened its Mobiles category to its users.

This means that users can now order smartphones from the e-commerce platform. "We're open for you...Now delivering your favourite smartphone brands at your doorsteps," the company wrote in its app. Users can order smartphones from companies like Apple, Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, iQoo, Poco and Infinix among others.

Flipkart in an update on its page also said that it would start delivering smartphones to its users across the country starting April 20, which is when government is relaxing Covid-19 lockdown norms and allowing greater movement of goods and services within the country.

Earlier, smartphones were listed as "Temporarily Unavailable" on the e-retail platform. But now, users can head to the site to order their favourite smartphones, which will be delivered to them post April 20. This functionality is available in all states across the country except West Bengal and Karnataka.

Separately, Flipkart earlier this month announced a partnership with Uber as a part of which the two companies would deliver essential items in three cities across the country. The service was launched for users in Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai.

"Flipkart remains committed to supporting our customers and we are mobilising all possible options to deliver essential supplies to people who are staying indoors," Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart had said in a statement at the time.