The launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in the UAE drew strong interest from shoppers in Dubai, with some Apple fans arriving at Dubai Mall before dawn to be among the first to collect their new phones.

Mohammed and Mal, two Dubai residents, said they arrived at Dubai Mall at 3am and waited in the car park throughout the night. The queue inside the mall began forming at around 7am, although some customers said they had been outside the building since about 5am. In-store sales began on September 18, initially limited to customers who had pre-ordered their devices.

Among the new models, the burgundy iPhone 18 Pro Max attracted the most attention. Some customers bought several phones for family members and friends. Mohammed Shaka, the first person in the queue, purchased three Pro Max devices in ice and burgundy for his family. He was also the first customer to buy an iPhone 17 in Dubai last year.

Some customers spent tens of thousands of dirhams. Dubai resident Amin paid nearly Dh40,000 for several iPhone 18 Pro Max devices with 256GB and 512GB storage. Another customer, Abdul, bought seven phones for family and friends, spending between Dh60,000 and Dh70,000 in total.

The launch also drew younger buyers to Dubai Mall. Hamdan, a Dubai school pupil, visited the mall with his uncle to buy the burgundy model. Meanwhile, Hastim Dulwani, an Indian student at a Dubai university, said he had decided to switch back to the iPhone after using Samsung for some time and had been waiting since 5am to buy the Pro Max.

The new Pro and Pro Max models are Apple’s latest flagships. The first wave of deliveries has now begun at stores across the UAE following the start of pre-orders last week.