Dh14,000 For Iphone 17: New Devices Selling At A Premium Online In UAE

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Several brand-new iPhone 17s and its iterations have been flooding online selling platforms one day after Apple launched its new devices. Some are selling for as much as Dh14,000 - more than 1.5 times the original price.

An iPhone 17 Pro Max 2TB, which originally costs Dh8499, is listed on one marketplace for Dh14,000. On Friday, some mobile shop owners told Khaleej Times that the highest demand was for the iPhone 17 Pro Max with 1TB and 2 TB storage. However, these have been hard to find, contributing to its premium price.

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Another 2 TB device was listed for Dh11,000 on the same platform. The most common devices on Facebook marketplace and other social media channels were the iPhone Pro Max of 256GB and 512 GB storage.“Most of these devices are being sold for a premium of Dh500 to Dh1,000 now,” said Mohammed Shareef, owner of Extel mobiles.“As of now, the demand has not peaked like in previous iPhone launches. It is too early to determine a trend. If the device performs well, then demand will rise in the coming few days."

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On Friday, several Apple fans lined up in front of the store across the UAE as early as 3:20am to buy the first devices. Pre-bookings for the phones opened on Friday, September 12 at 4pm UAE time and were sold out within minutes. The iPhone Air started at Dh4,299 in the UAE while the prices of iPhone 17 Pro began from Dh5,099. The iPhone 17 started from Dh4,699.

Buyers who place an order on the Apple store now will get their devices in another two or three weeks. The UAE is one of Apple's primary markets where the latest model devices are launched first. Many people from various countries flew into the UAE to get their hands on the latest phone on Friday.

Challenges

On Friday, several buyers made some profit reselling their devices for a premium of Dh1000 to Dh1500 per mobile. However, some owners of mobile phone shops across the emirate said they were facing some challenges in finding buyers.

“Since the device only supports an e-sim, that is a bit of a problem,” said one who did not wish to be identified.“We usually get a lot of demand from African and other Eastern European countries where these devices reach much later or are even banned. However, the e-sim option creates issues there. So, the demand from people in these countries has been incredibly low this time.”

Another said that with the rise in the number of flexible payment options, many residents are choosing to opt for those instead of paying a premium amount in one go.“There are some bank cards that offer interest-free installments as well as options like Tabby,” said Shareef.“Then obviously, there are options from the telecom operators like Du and Etisalat to pay along with their monthly bill. So, many younger people are going for these options rather than pay a full premium amount and buy it.”

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