Prices of the new Apple iPhone 5 could be as high as US$1,500 in the UAE

Posted September 17, 2012 by Stuff Staff in News

The new Apple iPhone 5 will launch in Europe, Hong Kong and the US next week – but what about us in the Middle East? No one knows when will the iPhone 5 launch in the UAE – but thanks to your friendly neighborhood online grey market retailers (aido, jadopado, souq, and the like) you can be sure a few Apple devices will be smuggled into the country and be available online. If you can afford it, that is.

According to Ashish Panjabi, COO of Jacky’s:

The official launch in the UAE we anticipate should be within a few months but grey stocks may start coming in smaller lots within a few days of the launch in other markets. The pricing may be expensive initially which is why we’re recommending that if you can wait, then please do as we hope the prices should stabilise within a few weeks of launch.

While no official (or even unofficial) price has been set, the current Apple iPhone 4S sells for US$710 (Dhs2,599). But on the grey market, you can expect prices as high as US$1,500 – if previous Apple launches are anything to go by.

So should you pay over the odds for an early iPhone?

The ideal situation is to wait for the official launch to happen in the UAE as we’ve seen in the case of the iPhone 4S launch, both Du and Etisalat were cheaper than the prevailing grey market prices at the time,” he added.

The UAE has been an important launch market for most smartphone vendors and in the last year we’ve seen Samsung do their global launch of the Galaxy SIII in the UAE and BlackBerry launch their Porsche smartphone here for the first time as well.

Apple probably wont do any product launches in the UAE for some time still, but there is definitely pent up demand for new launches such as the new iPhone

Can’t wait for the new iPhone 5? Need a next-gen smartphone right away? Then why not see how the iPhone 5 matches up against the currently-available Galaxy S III: Which is best? Apple iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S3

[via gulfbusiness.com]

Apple, grey market, Gulf Business, HTC, iPhone, iPhone 5

About the Author

Stuff Staff

Our crack-team of gadget-loving ninjas scour the interwebs for the hottest gadgets and the coolest kit around. They produce the pages of Stuff Middle East by day, but don internet-friendly masks by night, stealthily hunting the latest gadget news and tech trends.