Vietnamese spend nearly $45M to buy iPhone 16 on first day

A phone importer said, based on the number of activated devices, at least 37,000 units were sold on launch day.

Electronics retailer FPT Shop said it sold 10,000 for VND300 billion, and plans to deliver another 20,000 units to customers in September.

TopZone, an official Apple product distributor owned by another electronics retail chain, Mobile World, estimated it sold over 10,000 on the first day, and 3,000 were activated during the launch event.

Some of the first iPhone 16 owners during the official launch in Vietnam. Photo by Quang Anh

Other major chains like CellphoneS, Viettel Store, ShopDunk, and Hoang Ha Mobile also reported sales of 2,000-7,000 units.

A distributor said the first shipment of the new lineup to Vietnam consisted of around 55,000-60,000 units, roughly the same as last year.

The 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max have accounted for the lion’s share of sales since launch, with the former being the leader.

Customers getting their pre-ordered desert titanium iPhone 16 Pro Max at a store in Hanoi on Sept. 27, 2024. Photo by Phuong Dong

A change in screen size and several upgrades made to the iPhone 16 Pro this year are believed to have won over consumers, who used to opt for the Pro Max version in past years.

CellphoneS said pre-orders for the 16 Pro Max are down while increasing for the 16 Pro. The standard iPhone 16 and 16 Plus accounted for a relatively small ratio, it added.

Desert titanium has been the most popular color in this year’s lineup with many people paying VND3-4 million above listed prices to acquire it despite other options being available.

The standard iPhone 16 has a listing price of VND23 million for the 128GB version, while the 16 Pro Max costs VND35-47 million based on storage size.