Indian buyers fly to Dubai for iPhone 18 Pro as price gap makes UAE cheaper, shoppers say

Dubai: For some Indian Apple fans, buying the new iPhone 18 Pro in Dubai is proving cheaper than purchasing the same phone at home — even after factoring in the cost of a flight and visa.

As customers with pre-orders streamed into the Apple Store at Dubai Mall on Thursday for the first in-store sales of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, a small number of Indian shoppers said they had travelled to the UAE specifically to buy the new devices.

Most customers at the Dubai Mall launch appeared to be UAE residents, according to Apple Store employees, but Indian buyers were among those joining the queue.

For Mumbai resident Aman Solanki, the price difference was enough to make a trip to Dubai worthwhile.

“Even with the flight ticket and visa cost, it is still cheaper for me to buy the phone here in Dubai than compared to India where the additional taxes cause it to be very expensive,” Solanki told Gulf News.

“For me, it’s actually about ₹50,000 to ₹60,000 more expensive in India than here. I’m also buying two more phones for family, all iPhone Pro Max, so keeping that in mind I came to Dubai.”

Another Indian buyer at the Dubai Mall Apple Store, who was purchasing the iPhone 18 Pro Max in Burgundy, said he had reached a similar conclusion after comparing prices.

“I actually came to visit my family here too but decided to buy the phone here after comparing the cost between UAE and India. For me I’m saving around ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 for the new iPhone. The taxes really increase the price,” said Mohammed Sayed from Kerala.

Apple’s UAE price for the iPhone 18 Pro starts at Dh5,099, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at Dh5,499. Both models are available with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB storage options. 

In India, the iPhone 18 Pro starts at ₹164,900, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at ₹179,900. 

At recent exchange rates, the UAE starting price for the iPhone 18 Pro works out at roughly ₹132,000 — a difference of about ₹33,000 compared with India’s official starting price. For the Pro Max, the UAE price converts to roughly ₹142,000, around ₹38,000 below the Indian starting price. 

A wider international price comparison puts the UAE among the lower-priced markets for the new Pro models, while India is considerably more expensive. 

That price gap is particularly significant for buyers purchasing more than one phone. For Solanki, buying three Pro Max devices meant the potential saving multiplied across the purchases.

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are Apple’s latest premium smartphones and bring upgrades across the camera, performance and battery.

The phones are powered by Apple’s new A20 Pro chip and feature a new 48MP Fusion Main camera with variable aperture, giving users more control over photography. Apple has also introduced new Pro controls in the Camera app. 

Both models come in Burgundy, Glacier, Silver and Black, with storage options ranging from 256GB to 2TB. The Pro starts at Dh5,099 in the UAE, while the Pro Max starts at Dh5,499. 

With the UAE offering a sizeable difference against India’s official prices, some shoppers said the maths made sense — particularly when buying several phones for family members at the same time.