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08 October 2024

iPhone 6 gets royal treatment in Dubai – gold, black gold, black platinum

Wworld's only 7-star hotel, Dubai’s Burj Al Arab, has ordered its own set of gadgets to commemorate its anniversary milestone. (File)

Published
By Vicky Kapur

Apple’s Midas touch saw the iPhone 6 sell like gold dust last quarter, selling a record 75 million units or so of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in three months. It seems that everyone and their spouse wants the hottest smartphone on sale.

The demand, however, doesn’t seem to end there – the well-heeled want it too, but of course in a more extravagant avatar.

Emirates 24|7 reported in September last year that Dubai residents were lapping up iPhone 6 units in gold and black gold for as much as Dh21,995 apiece even before the smartphone officially hit the UAE’s shores.

Amjad Ali, CEO of Gold & Co London, the  company that makes Burj Al Arab-branded 24K gold iPads and iPhones, among other solid gold gadgets, told this website that his firm had received about 500 pre-orders within a few days, and a couple of weeks before the ‘regular’ device became available in the country.

Read: Get gold iPhone 6 in UAE ahead of others

Now, it seems that the world’s only 7-star hotel, Dubai’s Burj Al Arab, has ordered its own set of gadgets to commemorate its anniversary milestone.

“To mark our 15th anniversary, we have collaborated with Gold & Co. to create 15 iPhone 6 in yellow & black gold,” @BurjAlArab tweeted.

“It was an honour for us to help commemorate the 15 Year Anniversary of the @BurjAlArab hotel by creating 15 bespoke Limited Edition iP6 in 24k Gold and Black Gold,” Gold & Co London said on its Instagram account.

While Ali told this website last year that the iPhone 6 in 24K gold started at Dh17,995 (gold), and went all the way up to Dh21,995 (black gold), the price of the Burj Al Arab branded commemorative iPhone 6 units goes up to (hold your breath) Dh47,900 for the unit in Black Gold. On the other hand, the less expensive variant, in plain-vanilla yellow gold, can be yours for ‘only’ Dh44,900. 

“These units are limited to 15 units of each and are available to buy only at the Burj Al Arab,” Ali told Emirates 24|7. “Each unit takes around 80 man hours to produce and has a separate round Burj Al Arab anniversary logo on the back of the unit,” he added. 

“Each unit comes with its own gold plated identification and authenticity plaque, showing the units number and IMEI number,” The Gold & Co London CEO said. 

It isn’t, however, the first time that the iPhone or indeed any gadget has been created in a bespoke manner. Last week, luxury smartphone accessoriser Givori launched the Phantom Black Platinum iPhone 6, targeted solely at the Dubai market.

That gadget, in one of the rarest precious metals in the world, will set you back by a cool Dh13,700. According to Givori, the back panel of the Apple smartphone is made from Mississippiensis alligator leather, treated with silver dust to give it a distinctly masculine metallic finish.