Xiaomi, Samsung and Vivo begin accepting online orders for smartphones amid India’s coronavirus lockdown

You can now order a Xiaomi, Samsung or Vivo smartphone in India despite there being a figurative “ban” on the sale of non-essentials during the ongoing nationwide coronavirus lockdown. The top smartphone brands in India have started taking “prepaid” orders for smartphones silently via their respective e-commerce websites and even though buying a new smartphone is subject to a few conditions today, it seems there’s some hope that things may be on the verge of normalcy — or at least, it seems, smartphone brands are hopeful that thing would get better soon.

It’s important to understand how Xiaomi, Samsung, and Vivo, have been able to find a workaround the Government of India’s directive on smartphone sales. According to the Government of India, all e-commerce websites are prohibited from selling non-essential goods — that includes smartphones — until May 3. This however has more to do with smartphone deliveries, via physical means, rather than x, y, or z person ordering a product — so it seems.