Etisalat To Launch iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus On September 26 In UAE

UAE telecom provider Etisalat has announced that it will offer Apple’s newly launched devices, the iPhone 6 and the larger iPhone 6 Plus, in just over two weeks.

The new devices, launched at a star-studded event on September 9, were described by Apple CEO Tim Cook as the company’s “best phones ever made.”

The company also unveiled a new Apple Watch, starting at $349, which can receive phone calls and messages and includes the company’s new digital wallet system.

In a short message on Twitter, Etisalat revealed that the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus would be available on September 26. No details were given about the pricing of the phones or the new Watch.

On the official Apple website, the phones are available to order from September 27 in the UAE, with the iPhone 6 starting from Dhs2,599 for a 16GB device, Dhs2,999 for 64GB and Dhs3,399 for a 128GB device. The iPhone 6 Plus is priced Dhs2,999 (16GB), Dhs3,399 (64GB) and Dhs3,799 (128GB) 16GB.

The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus are slimmer than their predecessors and include features such as an A8 chip, Touch ID, faster LTE wireless, a new 8MP iSight camera with Focus Pixels, and iOS 8 featuring HealthKit and HomeKit.

The larger iPhone 6 Plus also includes a full HD display and comes with optical image stabilisation, a first for Apple.

The devices will also feature a new mobile wallet system, called Apple Pay, which will allow users to pay for products using Touch ID instead of debit or credit cards. The new feature will roll out in October, the company confirmed.

Meanwhile, the Apple Watch, which must be paired with an iPhone, will be available in three collections, including a sport edition and a luxury gold edition. Prices will start from $349, when it debuts next year in the US.

The new iPhones and the Apple Watch should perform well in the UAE, retailers believe.

“The [watch] should do well in the UAE as the fashion elements have been taken of care of nicely,” said Ashish Panjabi, COO of Jacky’s Group. “Functionality, we’ll need to see once we use it.”

Apple has been traditionally slow to launch its new iPhones in the UAE, with the typical lag time anywhere between four months to a year. This has fuelled sales on the grey market, where prices are much higher.

However, the iPhone 5S made its official UAE debut 40 days after the US launch and local retailers hope to get the new phones faster this time around too.

“The release of an iPhone always creates great expectations as consumers look forward to the new arrival to set new smartphone standards,” said Neelesh Bhatnagar, CEO of Emax.

“We have already had several inquiries about the availability of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. They are slated to hit the UAE market on September 27, 2014 and Emax will be among the first stores to display the new devices,” he said.