iPhone 6 to hit Hong Kong shelves September 19; unlocked prices up to HK$8,088

The iPhone 6 will hit shelves in Hong Kong on September 19, it was revealed last night, with stores gearing up to trade in Apple's latest offering.

Apple will be offering two iPhone 6 variants - the regular version with a 4.7-inch screen and a larger model called the iPhone 6 Plus, which will sport a 5.5-inch screen. Prices at the Apple store for an unlocked phone will range from HK$5,588 to HK$8,088, depending on the make and amount of memory storage.

Watch: Apple unveils two big-screen iPhones and Apple Watch

The phones will be available in gold, silver and grey. Hong Kong's mobile phone companies have not yet released monthly pricing plans for the new phones, which were unveiled at the company's press conference in Cupertino overnight

At Sin Tat Plaza in Mong Kok yesterday, shops were putting up posters showing what appeared to be the final version of the new model.

"Buying at high price," one sign read, while others indicated that some shops were now accepting pre-orders.

The Apple Store's pricing plans 

Source: Apple Store. Photo: Bloomberg

Usually, fans who fail to get hold of the latest creations directly from the manufacturer due to strong demand, can go to Sin Tat Plaza to buy a marked-up version. Those who manage to buy one but do not intend to use it, can sell for a profit.

The South China Morning Post found that shops at the plaza yesterday were expecting to pay about HK$9,000 to buy new phones from owners, with plans to resell them for more than HK$10,000.

Some shops were already accepting deposits of around HK$500, even though the specifics and retail price of the phones had not been announced.

"iPhone 6 is likely to be a hot sale because it will have a different appearance from previous generations," said John Cheung of Yat Fun Telecom.

But a staff member of iGeneration, who refused to disclose his identity, was less optimistic, saying that sales depended largely on demand by mainland tourists.

As it's within walking distance of Mong Kok East station, the plaza is frequented by many mainland tourists, especially when new iPhone models go on sale. Many come to try their luck at buying one for a higher price after failing to secure one back home.

However, reaction on the mainland to the new phone has not been as warm as expected.

Most of the large online electronics shops there had not received a single order by 2pm yesterday, despite the promise of swift delivery.

"You won't believe [the cold reception for the iPhone 6] if you compare it to the fever generated by the previous releases," said an online shop manager, who declined to be named.

"We have noticed a downtrend in interest since the iPhone 5, but we never expected iPhone fever could drop so fast."

In Beijing, the new phones are fetching a pre-order price as high as 28,000 yuan (HK$35,000) in some stores, according to the Legal Evening News. Most certified shops on Taobao asked for an advance payment ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 yuan.

Apple hqave chosen nine markets for the rollout of its new phones - Hong Kong, US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore and Japan. China is notable by its absence.

SmarTone Telecommunications and Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong, which runs the Three mobile network in the city, were singled out by Apple as among the first batch of 4G operators ready to support the so-called high-quality voice call over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE) service for its updated smartphones.

Stephen Chau Kam-kun, chief technology officer at SmarTone, confirmed to the South China Morning Post that the operator and Hutchison Telecom “have been qualified by Apple to support VoLTE on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus”.

The city’s mobile operators previously offered circuit switch-based voice calls through existing 2G and 3G networks, but have been upgrading their networks with VoLTE as they deployed high-speed 4G networks.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook touted the company’s new smartphones as “the biggest advancements in iPhone history”.

Apart from having more powerful processors, improved cameras and the iOS 8 mobile operating system upgrade, both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will support Apple Pay. These are the first iPhones to be built with near-field communications chips, which enable contactless mobile payments.

Users in the US will be able to pay in many retail stores and restaurants by simply holding the iPhone near the contactless reader, while keeping a finger on its Touch ID button. There is no need to launch an application or unlock the iPhone. No information was given when Apple Pay will be available in stores outside the US.

Additional reporting by Wu Nan