Apple fan flies from Egypt to be among first to grab iPhone 16 at Dubai Mall

Unlike previous years, only those with online reservations were allowed access to the Apple store

Unlike previous years, only those with online reservations were allowed to queue up outside the Apple store in Dubai Mall. Ali Al Shouk / The National

Many travelled from other parts of the region to be among the first to get their hands on the latest iPhone. Ali Al Shouk / The National

Apple introduced the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max at an unveiling event this month. Ali Al Shouk / The National

Indian expat Sayed Fawas has made a tradition of changing his iPhone at every launch. Ali Al Shouk / The National

Several Apple fans were seen waiting for their turn at Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi. The National

The UAE is among the first countries where the new devices are available. The National

'A reservation is currently required to purchase iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro in store,' Apple informed on its website. The National

Hundreds of shoppers headed to Dubai Mall on Friday morning to be among the first to get their hands on the iPhone 16.

Unlike previous years, Apple fans were not allowed to camp outside the shops ahead of the big launch, and only those with online reservations, with specific pickup times, were allowed access. They were even limited to two purchases per Apple ID.

Egyptian Ahmed Hamdy flew to Dubai to get his hands on an iPhone 16 Pro Max. “I reserved the phone online and came to Dubai Mall on Thursday night to get a spot in the queue, but I was told by the Apple store guys that there will be no queues and to come back before 8am today," he told The National.

The diehard iPhone fan was too excited to go back, so stayed near the Dubai Mall and got in at 6am. Mr Hamdy "likes to get a new iPhone every year", he said.

Apple introduced the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max at an unveiling event this month, offering fans an early peek as to which features would be included. The tech giant began accepting orders for the iPhones on Friday, with the new products available one week later.

Turkish citizen Berk Senay and his sister flew to Dubai for the day on Friday to buy the iPhone Pro Max 16. “I headed to Dubai Mall from the airport,” Mr Senay told The National.

The 27 year old says he is a “loyal iPhone” user and “likes to change my phone every year”. A former Dubai resident, Mr Senay was also among the first who bought the iPhone 15 Pro Max last year.

Mr Senay, who will fly back to Istanbul tonight, said it was "a nice feeling to know that you are the first in Turkey to have the new iPhone".

The UAE is again one of the first countries where the new devices are available. Fifty-eight countries are on the list, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Turkey, the UAE, the UK and the US.

Indian expat Sayed Fawas, who has made a tradition of changing his iPhone at every launch, reached Dubai Mall at 7am. “Unlike previous years, it’s quiet this year, with Apple allowing only those with reservation to stay in line.”

Mr Fawas bought one iPhone today and has made an online reservation for a second one tomorrow.

Some of the first few who got their hands on the new iPhone series even received offers for a quick resale. “One person offered me Dh8,000 [$8,937] for the new iPhone 16 plus. I didn't sell it but if I get any crazy offers I just might," said one Apple fan, who bought the iPhone for about Dh5,000.

The demand for the latest version of the iPhone was a little different than last year, with Apple allowing only registered users to queue.

"A reservation is currently required to purchase iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro in store. Buy online for home delivery or to reserve to buy in store," Apple said on its website.

Indian expat Libzath Abdul Qader, who lives in Sharjah, said he reached Dubai Mall about 4pm on Thursday anticipating long queues but was told to come back in the morning.

"But I was too excited to go back, so I stayed in the mall till midnight and then waited in my car," he said. “I got back to the mall around 6am and was among the first in the queue.

"I’m an Apple fan and every year I upgrade my iPhone. It’s a trend."

How much?

The base 6.1-inch iPhone 16 is Dh3,399, Dh3,799 and Dh4,649 for the 128GB, 256GB and 512GB models, respectively, while the 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus is Dh3,799, Dh4,199 and Dh5,049.

The iPhone 16 Pro will be Dh4,299, Dh4,699, Dh5,549 and Dh6,399 for the 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB variants, respectively.

The top-end iPhone 16 Pro Max is Dh5,099, Dh5,949 and Dh6,799 for the last three options (Apple removed the 128GB version last year).

In its accessories segment, the company introduced the Apple Watch Series 10, with the 42mm aluminium version of Watch Series 10 costing Dh1,599 for the GPS model and Dh1,999 for GPS and mobile. Its 46mm alternative is Dh1,719 and Dh2,119, respectively.

Meanwhile, its titanium version comes only in a GPS-and-mobile configuration. Its 42mm model comes with a sport band is Dh2,799, while the option with the Milanese loop is Dh2,999.

The 46mm titanium version is Dh2,999 and Dh3,199, respectively.

Apple also introduced the AirPods 4, which come in two variants: a base model at Dh549 and a new version with active noise cancelling at Dh749. It now also uses a USB-C port.