Southeast Asia's cheapest place to buy iPhone 18 Pro draws early launch-day crowds

Customers lined up before sunrise at Apple's The Exchange TRX store in Kuala Lumpur, which opened at 8 a.m. with separate lines for pre-order pickups and walk-in purchases.

The first customer in the pre-order line was James, a 25-year-old from Selangor, who arrived at 4:30 a.m. after staying awake through the night. He told Malaysian news site WeirdKaya that he had used an 11 for about seven years before upgrading to a black 256GB 18 Pro Max.

He added that he was most looking forward to trying the phone's Apple Intelligence features, upgraded Siri and camera.

The first customer in the walk-in line was a visitor from Uzbekistan.

Apple's iPhone 18 Pro in glacier color. Photo by VnExpress/Tuan Hung

Malaysia offers the lowest price for the 18 Pro in Southeast Asia.

The 256GB model costs about $1,350 in Malaysia, making it the fourth-cheapest market globally, according to Japanese price comparison site Nukeni, which compares Apple Store prices across 37 countries and territories.

Only the U.S., at $1,199, Canada at about $1,320 and Hong Kong at $1,339 are cheaper.

Thailand is the second cheapest market in Southeast Asia at about $1,468, followed by Singapore at $1,492, Vietnam at $1,500 and the Philippines at $1,509.

Malaysia is also Southeast Asia's cheapest market for the 256GB 18 Pro Max, which costs about $100 more than the Pro.

Launch-day demand was also strong elsewhere in the region.

In Singapore, the first customer arrived at Apple's Orchard Road store at 11 p.m. Thursday. About 140 people were in line by 7:40 a.m. Friday, rising to around 200 when the store opened at 8 a.m., The Straits Times reported.

The 18 Pro and Pro Max sold out at the Orchard Road store before 10 a.m., according to Singapore news outlet Mothership.

In Vietnam, thousands of customers gathered at authorized retailers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with some lining up from 6 a.m. before sales began at 8 a.m. Retailers recorded more than 300,000 pre-orders for the two Pro models, with the Pro Max accounting for most demand.

The 18 Pro has a 6.3-inch display, while the Pro Max has a 6.9-inch screen. Both use Apple's new A20 Pro chip and feature a 48-megapixel main camera with variable aperture, which adjusts the amount of light entering the camera and provides greater control over depth of field.

Both models are available in black, silver, glacier and burgundy.