IPhone X in Philippines now among costliest

dubai — Apple has started selling the iPhone X in the Philippines and you have to brace yourself for its price tag.

The 64GB version is selling for 64,490 pesos, or about Dh4,700 ($1,280) — almost the same cost as the 256GB version here in the UAE. The 256GB model, meanwhile, will set you back 73,990 pesos, or about Dh5,400 ($1,470).

Which means that they’re about Dh600 and Dh671 more expensive, respectively, than its prices tags here in the UAE.

For further comparison, they sell for $999 (50,280 pesos) and $1,149 (57,830 pesos), respectively, in the United States (before sales tax) - around 14,210 pesos and 16,169 pesos, respectively. That’s a lot of money. However, if you really want it but don’t or can’t afford to shell out that humongous amount, the country’s two major telecom providers, Globe and Smart, have plans for it. Globe is offering the iPhone X for 3,399 pesos monthly (for a 1,799-peso plan plus 1,600 ‘cash-out’); Smart, meanwhile, has it a tad lower at 3,199 pesos (for a 1,499 plan plus 1,700 ‘device fee’)

If you’d rank this in Quartz.com’s list of most expensive iPhone X prices in the world, the 64GB version in the Philippines would rank 15th, just below the UK and above China. Hungary remains the costliest place to buy one, with a price difference of $554 if you want the 256GB option. Well, kabayans, looks like it’s a better idea to buy here in the UAE.

— alvin@khaleejtimes.com