Customers queue up outside a US tech-giant Apple store during the launch of the new iPhones on September 17, 2016, at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. (AFP Photo)
Dubai: Huge crowds were seen seen queuing up outside the Apple store in Dubai's Mall of the Emirates in anticipation of the launch of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus phones
Apple began sales of its latest smartphones in the UAE on Saturday, with excited customers already in queue before the store closed its operations on Friday evening.
Security officials said that some customers started queuing up as early as 10 pm on Friday while many of them even slept in front of the Apple stores.
Ahmad Al Hajri, who travelled from Saudi Arabia especially for the event, was the first person to buy the iPhone 7 in Dubai.
Like most of the customers at the Apple store, Al Hajra had a pre-booking to purchase the device, which was already sold out ahead of the launch date in the UAE.
An Apple store salesperson stated that Apple sold "100 percent of our stock" within minutes at its official stores in the UAE.
Customers can still continue to place orders online, with an expected delivery time of around three weeks.
The iPhone 7 is available in the UAE for AED2,599 (32GB), AED2,999 (128GB) and AED3,399 (256GB).
The iPhone 7 Plus is priced at AED3,099 (32GB), AED3,499 (128GB) and AED3,899 (256GB).