iPhone 16 Pro Max hand-carried before official launch costs $2,850 in Vietnam

One such unofficial seller said on Facebook it is taking orders for the phones, saying it will arrive in Vietnam as early as 2 p.m. on Friday, a week ahead of the official launch.

It said the trending desert titanium color would cost VND52-70 million depending on storage capacity.

Other colors are cheaper but not by much and prices would gradually decrease during the day, it added.

The desert titanium iPhone 16 Pro Max seen at a launch event on Sept. 9, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Tuan Hung

Quan Ngo, who runs an unofficial Apple shop in HCMC, said people who buy early often gift them and so tend to opt for the most expensive models.

Hence, most unofficial sellers are mostly importing the iPhone 16 Pro Max and small numbers of the 16 Pro, and virtually no 16 or 16 Plus, he said.

He said the devices are carried into Vietnam by hand from markets where their sales open on Friday.

The earliest ones would be from Singapore since there are early flights available on Friday, he noted, adding that prices would drop later in the day as imports from Thailand arrive.

Some are also buying the phones in Taiwan this year as demand is low there and there are daily two-way flights.

Many of the sellers said they only have a small window to sell these phones.

Le Hieu, owner of an unofficial phone store in Hanoi, said: "After four days [after launch], most people will buy from official stores."