Orders for iPhone 11 models soar to twice that of iPhone X last year, with more customers preferring authorized resellers for post-sale services. As of October 31, data from electronics chain FPT showed that customers have put down deposits for 12,300 iPhone 11 models, 2.5 times that of iPhone XR, XS and XS Max last year.
In major chain Mobile World, customers have put down a deposit for 6,000 new iPhone 11 models, three times that of iPhone X last year. Another chain, CellphoneS, received 2,500 orders with deposits, twice that of last year.
The iPhone 11 was officially released in Vietnam on Friday via authorized resellers. FPT said it could deliver up to 5,000 devices on Friday alone. Industry insiders say official iPhone 11 orders have reached a new peak in Vietnam, with the total number of these three major chains already surpassing 20,000 devices, higher than in previous years.
Many Vietnamese are used to buying iPhones via unofficial channels, mostly hand-carried on overseas flights. There is a change in this trend, with the increase in official channel orders showing customers care more about post-sales services such as the one-year warranty from Apple. Data from the chains also show that iPhone 11 Pro Max is the most favored model, accounting for half of all orders, followed by iPhone 11. Only 10 percent of buyers ordered the iPhone 11 Pro.
At authorized resellers, the iPhone 11 is priced from VND22 million ($951), the iPhone 11 Pro, VND31 million ($1,340) and the iPhone 11 Pro Max, VND38 million ($1,643). Apple’s market share in Vietnam fell to 5.6 percent in September, its lowest level this year, with buyers apparently waiting for the new iPhone 11 models, according to a report by market research firm GfK.