Apple enthusiasts have travelled to Dubai for the highly anticipated iPhone 18 Pro, with eager customers turning up as early as 5:45am to secure their place in line ahead of the latest smartphone’s official launch.
iPhone 18 Pro Fever Hits Dubai as Apple Fans Arrive Early and Queue From 5:45am.
Among those waiting at Dubai Mall were people with memorable reasons for being there — including a 13-year-old who missed school for the occasion and a soon-to-be father hoping to surprise his pregnant wife with a special gift.
Apple’s latest iPhone launch brought an early-morning rush to Dubai Mall on Friday, with enthusiastic customers arriving well before sunrise to be among the first buyers of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in the UAE.
The launch attracted a mix of longtime Apple customers, families, tourists and residents, with some shoppers planning their day around the release. While many came simply to upgrade their smartphones, others had more personal reasons for wanting to be among the first to collect the new devices.
The queue began forming in the early hours, with some customers reaching the mall at around 5:45am. By the time the Apple Store opened, anticipation had built among those waiting outside.
At 8am, Apple employees positioned themselves on both sides of the entrance and greeted arriving customers with applause and cheers, creating a celebratory atmosphere as the first shoppers entered the store to collect their purchases.
A school day missed for a family tradition
For 13-year-old Indian expat Hamdan Imran, the iPhone launch was important enough to make an exception to his normal school routine.
Hamdan accompanied his uncle, Fazlur Rahman, to Dubai Mall as the family prepared to collect five new devices. For the young Apple fan, being present on launch day was an exciting experience.
“I was so excited,” Hamdan said.
The family’s enthusiasm for Apple launches is not new. According to Fazlur, they have been purchasing iPhones on the first day of availability for the past six years.
Securing the devices requires careful preparation, particularly when demand is high. Fazlur said that on the day pre-orders opened, he used five different phones for around half an hour to make sure the family would be able to receive the devices on launch day.
“On the day of pre-booking, I spent half an hour on five different phones to ensure I got it on the first day,” he said.
For the family, the annual launch has effectively become a tradition, with the excitement surrounding the release extending beyond simply buying a new smartphone.
Early arrivals compete for the first places
For some customers, getting the latest iPhone was not enough. They also wanted to be among the earliest people through the store doors.
Several shoppers arrived before sunrise, with some beginning their wait as early as 5:45am. Their goal was to secure an early collection slot and experience the launch-day atmosphere from the front of the queue.
Among them was Mohammed Shaka, who managed to claim the first customer position at the Dubai Mall Apple Store.
The achievement was particularly meaningful because Shaka had also been the first customer at the store when the iPhone 17 series launched the previous year.
Returning for another launch, he said he had once again arrived early to secure his place.
“Today, I am buying two phones,” Shaka said. “One for my wife and one for me. I arrived early to make sure that I was the first one to get the phone.”
His repeat appearance demonstrates how the annual iPhone launch has become an event for some dedicated customers, who make a point of being present from the earliest hours.
What’s new in the iPhone 18 Pro range?
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max arrive with several major hardware changes.
Among the headline upgrades is Apple’s A20 Pro processor, which is built using a 2-nanometer manufacturing process. The new chip is positioned as a significant step forward in the performance and efficiency of the Pro models.
The camera system has also received an important update. The new 48-megapixel main camera introduces a variable-aperture system, marking a change in how the camera can control the amount of light reaching the sensor.
Apple has also highlighted improvements in battery performance, describing the new generation as its biggest advancement in battery life.
The new Pro models are positioned at the premium end of Apple’s smartphone range. In the UAE, the iPhone 18 Pro starts at Dh5,099, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max has a starting price of Dh5,499.
Customers choosing the highest-capacity configuration can spend considerably more, with the 2TB model priced at Dh10,599.
The combination of upgraded processing power, camera technology, battery performance and increased storage options has made the latest Pro models a major attraction for existing Apple users looking to upgrade.
Some shoppers travelled specifically for launch day
The Dubai launch also attracted international visitors who arranged their trips around the new iPhone’s release.
Among them were Russian citizens Saiful Islam and Ive Sultana Molly, who travelled to Dubai for a short three-day visit and purchased four devices.
The phones were intended for the couple and their two sons.
The family already has connections to Dubai, with one of their sons studying in the emirate and Saiful travelling between Dubai and Russia for business.
However, this particular trip was planned with the iPhone launch in mind.
“Our son studies in Dubai and I have business here so we keep traveling between the two countries,” Saiful said. “But this time we came specifically for the iPhone. My son booked the devices, but he had to go for classes, so we came to pick it up.”
The timing was especially important for Saiful because the latest iPhone was expected to reach the Russian market later through imports.
After collecting the devices in Dubai, the couple planned to fly back to Moscow on Friday evening.
Saiful said this would allow him to have the new handset before many customers in Russia could purchase it locally.
“Since Russia imports the iPhone, it will be a couple of days before it becomes available in the market there,” he said.
Their trip illustrates how Dubai’s position as a major international shopping destination can attract customers who want access to newly launched technology as soon as it becomes available.
A surprise for a pregnant wife
Not everyone waiting at the Apple Store was buying the new phone simply for themselves.
For Pakistani expat Mohammed Waris, the iPhone 18 Pro Max was intended as a surprise for his wife, who is expecting their second child.
Waris said his wife believed he had gone to work that day. Instead, he had travelled to Dubai Mall to collect the new phone as a gift for her.
“She thinks I have gone to work but I came to pick up this phone for her,” he said. “I want to surprise her. She is at home with my daughter.”
The timing of the gift made the occasion even more personal. His wife was due to give birth on September 30, with the couple expecting their second baby within the following weeks.
“We are eagerly awaiting our second baby in the next 15 days and I just wanted to make her happy,” Waris said.
While the launch generated plenty of excitement among technology enthusiasts, stories such as Waris’s gave the event a more personal dimension, with the new device becoming part of a family milestone.
Still chasing the earliest collection slot
For Dubai resident Sadaf, collecting a new iPhone on launch day has also become a regular tradition.
She and her family have purchased Apple devices on release day for several years, but there was still one achievement she had not managed to secure: obtaining the earliest possible collection slot.
This year, she received an 8:30am pickup time.
“We have been buying on the first day for several years, but I still have not cracked the code of getting the first slot,” she said.
Rather than stopping there, Sadaf was already considering another strategy.
“Now we are thinking of buying the iPhone Duo as well. Maybe then I might get the first slot,” she said.
She arrived at the mall with her brother’s wife, Hafsa, and her two-year-old niece. Together, they were collecting three devices, with each phone intended for one member of the group.
For regular launch-day customers, the experience is not necessarily just about replacing an old phone. The process of pre-ordering, securing a collection time and arriving at the store early has become part of the excitement surrounding the annual release.
Store employees prepared for the crowds
The launch was also a significant occasion for the Apple Store employees responsible for managing the large number of customers.
For employee Jahnvi, this year’s event marked her second iPhone launch since joining the store.
She said working at the Apple Store had been a personal ambition before she was hired.
“For more than a year, I would pass by the Apple store, and I would manifest being able to work here,” she said.
Jahnvi reached her one-year work anniversary in August and said she has enjoyed being part of the team.
“In August I completed one year of working here and I love it,” she said. “Seeing the joy on people’s faces when they buy the devices is what truly makes my day.”
Launch days can be particularly demanding for retail employees, with large crowds arriving within a short period and customers expecting a smooth collection experience.
According to Jahnvi, the team spent the week before the launch preparing for the expected rush.
“We had briefings all of last week on how to make it a special experience for our customers and how the crowds would be managed,” she said.
The preparation involved planning how customers would be welcomed and how the large number of people arriving for their devices would be handled.
Making every purchase feel special
For the employees working behind the scenes, the launch may involve hundreds of transactions, but Jahnvi said each customer’s experience can still be significant.
“For us, it might be the 100th phone we are selling but for many it might be the first phone they are buying,” she said.
She explained that the team therefore tries to ensure that each customer feels that their purchase is an important occasion.
The launch also brought back some familiar faces. Jahnvi said one customer who had purchased a device from her during the previous year’s launch returned this year.
“Today I had one of my first buyers last year come back this year and it felt like a reunion,” she said.
The store saw a variety of customers throughout the morning, including people purchasing devices for personal use and others who were buying multiple units for different purposes.
Jahnvi said there was also a mixture of individual buyers and resellers among those collecting phones.
More than a smartphone launch
The scenes at Dubai Mall demonstrated how the release of a new iPhone can become a social event as much as a retail one.
Some customers arrived before sunrise, while others travelled from overseas specifically to collect their devices. Families made the launch part of an established tradition, and some shoppers used the occasion to surprise loved ones.
For people such as Hamdan and his uncle, the experience represented a family tradition that has continued for years. For Mohammed Shaka, it was another opportunity to repeat his position as the store’s first customer. For Saiful and Ive, the Dubai trip was planned around getting the latest devices before they became widely available in their home market.
And for Waris, the new iPhone was less about technology and more about making his pregnant wife happy before the arrival of their second child.
Behind the scenes, Apple Store employees were working to manage the crowds and maintain the celebratory atmosphere associated with launch day.
By the time the first customers entered the store at 8am, many had already spent hours waiting.
The early start, long queues and international visitors reflected the enthusiasm surrounding the latest Pro models, while the individual stories of the people in line showed the different reasons customers had for wanting to be part of the launch.
For some, it was about owning the newest Apple technology on day one. For others, it was a yearly family ritual, a gift for someone special or simply the excitement of being among the first to experience a new product.
As the doors opened and customers were greeted by cheers and applause, the launch at Dubai Mall became more than a standard morning of smartphone sales. It was a gathering of longtime Apple customers, first-time buyers, families, tourists and dedicated enthusiasts — all brought together by the arrival of the latest iPhone generation.
