iPhone 18 Pro goes on sale: Buyers queue overnight as Apple opens its doors

Midnight queues

Some Apple fans did not wait for opening time to get their hands on the latest iPhone. Customers began gathering outside stores overnight, with one Mumbai buyer from Nashik saying he reached the store at around 10 pm for an 8 am slot.

Applause welcome

The Mumbai Apple store turned the first morning of sales into an event, welcoming customers with applause as the doors opened at 8 am. The scenes underline the anticipation surrounding the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max launch.

Four variants

The iPhone 18 Pro comes with four storage choices, but the price ladder climbs sharply. Starting at ₹1,64,900 for 256GB, the range goes up to ₹3,14,900 for the 2TB model, putting the top-end version firmly into premium territory.

Max gets pricier

The iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at ₹1,79,900 for 256GB and rises to ₹3,29,900 for the 2TB version. With a ₹25,000 gap between comparable Pro and Pro Max variants, buyers have another price decision to make.

No booking

Not every customer standing in the queue had secured a pre-booking. One Mumbai buyer said he had neither pre-booked the phone nor carried a barcode, yet still joined the line in the hope of getting his new iPhone on launch day.

Annual upgrade

For some buyers, the launch is less about replacing an old phone and more about keeping up an annual ritual. Hitesh Patel, who travelled from Nashik, said he currently owns an iPhone 17 Pro Max and plans to upgrade to the iPhone 18 Pro Max.