iPhone 14 pre-bookings begin; many residents to trade in old phones for new

Some private mobile phone shops in the UAE have started accepting pre-bookings for Apple's latest iPhone 14 series. Some retailers said they will charge an extra premium for customers who want the latest iPhone on the very first day of the release.

The retailers said they are also getting a good number of inquiries for the trade-in deals of old iPhones.

"Once you make the booking payment of between Dh100 to Dh500, the full payment will be made upon the delivery on September 16. The earlier you want, the more you pay for the latest iPhones, depending on the model," said a shopkeeper at Sharjah market, in popular "Mobile Roundabout".

"Gulf and the Middle Eastern citizens are very keen whenever a new smartphone by Samsung or Apple is launched because they want to be the first to lay their hands on the new gadgets, especially iPhone," he said.

The US technology major Apple on Wednesday announced the launch of the iPhone 14 series – iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhones Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. The UAE will be among the first markets where the company will launch its new smartphone iterations. Apple also launched bookings on September 9 and availability on September 16.

Apple has priced iPhone 14 at Dh3,399, iPhone 14 Plus at Dh3,799, iPhone 14 Pro at Dh4,299 and iPhone 14 ProMax at Dh4,699 in the UAE.

iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will be available in midnight, blue, starlight, purple, and red in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage capacities. While iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be available in four new finishes – deep purple, silver, gold, and space black.

Shopkeepers in Sharjah said the walk-in customers will have to pay a "handsome" premium to buy any of the new iPhone 14s on the first day of the launch, he said.

Another shopkeeper, Billal, said they're accepting bookings from September 9.

"We charge Dh100 for pre-booking, and we'll give the receipt. The remaining amount is paid upon delivery on September 16," he said, adding that we also accept trade-in deals.

Another retailer, T Hussain, said the stock would reach the market on September 16.

"On the first day, people will have to pay Dh1,200-Dh1,500 premium for the iPhone 14 handsets. Because of strong demand in the first few weeks, shopkeepers charge a premium on the new iPhone models," he said.

Trade-in offers

The retailers said they're also getting inquiries for trade-in deals from customers.

Abbas Rizvi, a Dubai resident, said he had bought iPhone 12 Pro Max with the upcoming iPhone around two years ago and is now keen to trade in his older handset for the new one.

"Two months after its launch, I decided to upgrade to a new iPhone every two years, if not annually. Since iPhone 13 Pro didn't have significant upgrades, it didn't make sense. But the new one looks worth it, and if I can trade in or sell my current iPhone, then it easily makes for a great buy!" said Rizvi.

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Most of the retailers are accepting trade-in deals. However, a few of them accept only iPhone 13 models, while a majority of accept older models as well for trade-in deals.

"Even customers opting for trade-in deals will have to pay Dh500 for pre-booking," said a shopkeeper.

- waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com

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