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28 March 2024

iPhone 5 prices sink to $422: Blame Samsung Galaxy S4 – and the upcoming iPhone 6

Published
By Vicky Kapur

Smartphone retailers in the UAE are eagerly awaiting the availability of the recently launched Samsung Galaxy S4, which seems to have created quite some hype since its launch a couple of weeks ago.

According to a section of local mobile phone retailers in Dubai, sales of the current breed of smartphones have been negatively impacted due to user-anticipation of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4, with customers preferring to wait for the new device rather than go in for the ‘older’ (in smartphone years) phones.

Earlier this week, Emirates 24|7 noted how prices of the BlackBerry Z10 were sliding in the UAE, thanks to the imminent availability of the Samsung Galaxy S4. The just launched Z10 has already seen a price decline of Dh429, compared with the official retail price, and is now available at just Dh2,170.

Now it seems that arch-rivals Apple’s iPhone is in the same boat, and iPhone 5 prices are being squeezed not just by the fact that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will soon be available on store shelves, but also by rumours that a stunning iPhone 6 with killer features will be launched within a few months.

Consequently, prices of the entry-level 16GB variant of the iPhone 5 have slipped to Dh1,550 ($422) on souq.com. And that’s a huge discount of about Dh1,100, or more than 40 per cent, on the official UAE iStore retail price of Dh2,599.

The 32GB version of the iPhone 5 is available with the same seller for Dh1,950, at a discount of about Dh1,050, or about 35 per cent, on the official retail price of Dh2,999 on the iStore. The 64GB version of the iPhone 5 is available for Dh2,450, at a discount of Dh949, or about 28 per cent, on the official iStore price of Dh3,399.

Emirates 24|7 would like to mentioned here that we haven't checked the authenticity of the seller who has put up the devices in sale at these prices on souq.com, and advise readers to make their own inquiries before making any purchases.

This offer in fact is in stark contrast to other iPhone 5 offers on the same and other similar websites, where the 16GB iPhone 5 is on sale for not more than a couple of hundred dirhams below the official retail price.

Nevertheless, the fact that the mere unveiling – and not market availability – of the Samsung Galaxy S4 has managed to push the iPhone 5 prices down is definitely not good news for the Cupertino-based tech giant.

The price-cut isn’t limited to the UAE either. The iPhone is now being offered at deep discount as announced by an Amazon related website Mingyaa.com.

Shortly after having announced the iPhone discount, the website’s traffic spiked significantly, as potential customers all wanted to take advantage of the offer, it said in a media statement on Tuesday.

 READ: Believe this: Apple just patented BlackBerry’s BBM app for iPhone 6!

Global retailer Radio Shack too has announced a price-cut for the iPhone5 and Galaxy S3 in the US. The retail giant is offering both phones and the iPhone 4S through Sprint, and is offering $50 off per month with a two-year plan – i.e., a discount of $1,200 over the contract period.

According to letsgomobile.com, the iPhone 5 will be available with T-Mobile for $99.99 down payment and $20 per month for 24 months. On the other hand, the iPhone 4S will be available for $69.99 down payment and $20 per month for 24 months, and the iPhone 4 will be available for $14.99 down payment and $15 per month for 24 months.

The $99.99 pricing for the iPhone 5 is indeed a shocker, with the iPhone 5 currently selling for a uniform $199 price across other major carriers AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint.

It will only be a matter of time before prices are slashed across the board – and that can mean only one thing: that Apple has other plans for the $199 price slot. I.e., the iPhone 6 (or the 5S) will materialise sooner than earlier thought. Watch this space.

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BlackBerry Z10 sales & prices are sinking: Blame Samsung Galaxy S4