With the new Apple smartphone launching in Asia, the iPhone X price in Dubai has become of critical interest. With Apple having become the most recognizable brand in the world, and with Dubai considered a shopping Mecca, the popularity of the smartphone in this Eastern city will undoubtedly be vast.
Indeed, early reports from the United Arab Emirates suggests that hundreds of people queued around the block at the Apple Store in Dubai Mall, desperate to get their hands on the next-generation device. While the iPhone 8 has been met with something of a lukewarm response, the public enthusiasm for the iPhone X cannot be doubted, and this was certainly evident in Dubai as well.
Early figures
According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, iPhone 7 and 7 Plus had accounted for 43 percent of launch quarter sales, while iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus accounted for just 16 percent of sales, underlining the importance of the revolutionary iPhone X for Apple. It seems that the wraparound device will indeed deliver the sort of performance that Apple desires.
With the United Arab Emirates being one of the wealthiest nations in the Gulf region, the iPhone X price in Dubai will certainly be of particular interest. This will be a must have a consumer item in both the city and country, meaning that the iPhone X will undoubtedly sell out rapidly. This is partly due to the restrictive number of units that Apple has offered on release date, with around 3 million thought to be available worldwide.
iPhone X markup
Nonetheless, keen Apple consumers will find themselves paying an additional Dh850 ($230) in the UAE in order to get their hands on the iPhone X for the first time. This hasn’t dissuaded consumers from queueing up to purchase the iPhone X overnight, and the units available from official channels were snapped up almost immediately.
The iPhone X price in Dubai is Dh4,099, while the iPhone 8 Plus starts at Dh3,249 and the standard iPhone 8 model is available from Dh2,849. As worldwide pricing goes, this can be considered rather competitive, with the equivalent price tag in the United States being just over $1,100. This means that there is only a 10 percent markup for the iPhone X price in Dubai, which compares quite favorably with some other comparable locations.
With Apple’s handset proving as popular as ever, some online retailers have ensured that iPhone X units were still made available even after the official stock had gone. Thus, a possible current iPhone X price in Dubai is Dh5,499, even after Apple has long since sold out of units. Some retailers are making the smartphone available at this eye-watering pricetag, which represents a fee of over $1,500.
While few markets benefit from iPhone pricing in the same ballpark as the United States, this still represents a 50 percent markup over the US model. But with Dubai housing in a vast number of millionaires and billionaires, along with higher living standards than most of the rest of the Middle East, it is still likely that the smartphone will sell at this price point.
Limited release
Apple fans in the United Arab Emirates can also feel somewhat privileged that Apple has chosen to release in the Middle Eastern nation. Only 55 countries will benefit from the iPhone X on release day, and many neighbours and friends of the UAE will be excluded from this process.
Apart from the UAE, the iPhone X has gone on sale in Andorra, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UAE, the UK, the US, and US Virgin Islands.
One can see that this list is dominated by locations in the Western world, and the iPhone X price in Dubai is indicative of the unique identity of this city in the Gulf region.
Purchasing an iPhone X in Dubai
Getting your hands on an iPhone X in Dubai is certainly challenging, as the city was always likely to attract a huge number of interested buyers. But many Apple consumers were provided with a reservation for store purchases by Apple, meaning that they were able to circumnavigate the massive queues that formed in the city’s retail outlets.
Apple certainly didn’t simplify the process, by refusing to release figures on the number of devices that were on sale. It did at least let consumers know that Apple Stores were opening at 8am in this critical Middle Eastern location, meaning that queues were forming several hours ahead of this deadline.
Reservations reopen
With the official Apple Store having run out of the handset rather rapidly, there is now much expectation regarding the reopening of reservations. This will, in fact, begin on November 4, with a customer representative of Apple indicating that the smartphone can only be dispatched in 5 to 6 weeks from now when online orders are placed.
Aside from the Apple website, the iPhone X can also be pre-ordered in Dubai via telecommunication companies. The iPhone X price in Dubai for monthly deals is Dh185 per month, while the 256GB model is available for Dh215, under the 24-month smart pay plan.
Etisalat and du have a certain number of iPhone X units available to consumers, with the former indicating that deliveries of the handset will begin three working days from November 11. However, the du website is already out of stock, with this having been confirmed by the company.
Further crumbs of comfort for Dubai consumers comes from the fact that the iPhone 8 is still widely available, meaning that there is no delay for purchasing this handset. It does seem that the smartphone has been a massive hit in the nation, suggesting that the iPhone X price in Dubai was ultimately appropriate.
