The recently unveiled iPhone 8 series is scheduled to hit stores in India on September 29, but an avid Apple patron was so desperate to get his hands on the new flagship device that he went to Singapore -- one of the regions of Apple's phase 1 release programme.
Indian businessman Amin Ahmed Dholiya, 43, reportedly flew to Singapore late on Thursday (September 21) and waited for 13 hours along with 200 other crazy fans (even foreigners) in front of the Apple store on Orchard Road, reported The Straits Times.
Also read: Samsung Galaxy Note8 hit stores in India ahead of Apple iPhone 8 series; price, specs and more
When the shop finally opened at 8 am next morning, Dholiya, who was standing first in the queue, bought two iPhone 8 Plus models, one for himself and one as a wedding gift for his daughter.
Apple iPhone 8 series: Is it worth buying?
Though the new Apple iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus look pretty much same as their predecessors iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, respectively, in terms of design, the new Apple devices come with a boatload of upgrades.
The key improvement is the incorporation of the glass design, which makes the device look glossy and this, in turn, can be a problem as there are chances of the device getting finger-print smudges. The company has not confirmed if they will provide oleophobic coating.
Another notable aspect is that iPhone 8 Plus' dual camera supports AR (Augmented Reality). Each camera is individually calibrated, with new gyroscopes and accelerometers for accurate motion tracking. AR benefits from new A11 Bionic, which handles world tracking, scene recognition and incredible graphics at 60fps, while the image signal processor does real-time lighting estimation. Apple iPhone 8 Plus' front camera will get Portrait Lighting mode support via software update before the end of 2017.
Both iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have also scored impressive scores of 92 and 94 points, respectively, on globally acclaimed DXOMark lab testing, making them the best camera phones in the market.
Apple has also finally incorporated the much-needed wireless charging capabilities in both iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8 and they also support fast charging, which according to the company, the devices can charge up to 50 percent within 30 minutes. [Full specs below]
Official global price details of Apple iPhone X and iPhone 8 series:
| Models | Storage | Price | |||||
| US($) | UK (£) | Dubai (UAE)AED/ Arab Emirates Dirham | India (Rs.) | Singapore (S$) | Australia(A$) | ||
| Apple iPhone X | 64GB | $999 | £999 | AED4,099 | Rs. 89,000 | S$1,648 | A$1,579 |
| 256GB | $1,149 | £1,149 | AED4729 | Rs. 1,02,000 | S$1,888 | A$1,829 | |
| Apple iPhone 8 Plus | 64GB | $799 | £799 | AED3249 | Rs. 73,000 | S$1,308 | A$1,229 |
| 256GB | $949 | £949 | AED3879 | Rs. 86,000 | S$1,548 | A$1,479 | |
| Apple iPhone 8 | 64GB | $699 | £699 | AED2849 | Rs. 64,000 | S$1,148 | A$1,079 |
| 256GB | $849 | £849 | AED3479 | Rs. 77,000 | S$1,388 | A$1,329 | |
In a related news, Apple's anniversary edition iPhone X (pronounced as iPhone Ten) will be put up for pre-order in India from October 27 and hit stores on November 3.
Also read: Apple iPhone X vs iPhone 8 Plus: Key Differences
Apple has also officially slashed the prices of the older iPhone models up to Rs. 14,000 in India.
Read more: Apple iPhone X, 8 series launch effect: iPhone 7, 6s, SE series get generous price cut in India
Key specifications of Apple iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8:
| Models | Apple iPhone 8 Plus | Apple iPhone 8 |
| Display | 5.5-inch wide-screen LCD Retina HD (1920x1080p) multi-touch IPS display
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4.7-inch wide-screen LCD Retina HD (1334x750p) multi-touch IPS display
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| OS | Apple iOS 11 with improved Siri voice assistant | Apple iOS 11 with improved Siri voice assistant |
| Processor | 64-bit class Apple A11 Bionic chip with neural engine+ Embedded M11 motion coprocessor | 64-bit class Apple A11 Bionic chip with neural engine+ Embedded M11 motion coprocessor |
| RAM (not confirmed) | 3GB | 2GB |
| Storage | 64GB/256GB | 64GB/256GB |
| Camera |
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| Video recording |
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| Security | Touch ID: Second-generation fingerprint sensor built into the Home button | Touch ID: Second-generation fingerprint sensor built into the Home button |
| Battery |
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| Network | 4G-LTE Advanced with VoLTE | 4G-LTE Advanced with VoLTE |
| Add-ons | Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n/ac; MIMO), Wi-Fi calling, NFC (Near Field Communication) with reader mode, GPS/GLONASS/ Galileo & QZSS, support Augmented Reality (AR) | Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n/ac; MIMO), Wi-Fi calling, NFC (Near Field Communication) with reader mode, GPS/GLONASS/ Galileo & QZSS |
| Dimensions | 158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5 mm | 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm |
| Weight | 202 grams | 148 grams |
| Colours | Space Grey, Silver and Gold | Space Grey, Silver and Gold |
| Price (In India) |
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