iPhone XS goes on sale, drawing smaller crowds but plenty of fans

iphone-xs-sydney-1 — South Korean student Teddy Lee and YouTuber Mazen Kourouche walk out with two of the first iPhone XS handsets sold in the world in Sydney, Australia.
Claire Reilly/CNET

The crowds might have been smaller than at last year's iPhone X launch, but if you thought 11 years of launches would lessen the die-hard Apple fandom, think again.

Apple's newest iPhone models -- the snappily-named iPhone XS (that's "ten S") and iPhone XS Max -- are hitting stores around the world on Friday (officially knocking the iPhone X out of Apple's lineup in the process). Sydney, as usual, was one of the first cities to get a bite, with stores in cities around the world opening their doors as the morning creeps in.

More than a decade since the launch of the original iPhone, the phenomenon of the Apple fanboy line continues to exist, even if the numbers have waned over the years. With online preorders, in-store pickups and deals from carrier partners, there's less reason than ever to wait in line. The iPhone XS, meanwhile, offers only incremental upgrades to last year's iPhone X, with the iPhone XS Max getting a size increase and more battery.

Yet, the fanboys keep showing up.

The lines are a sign of the enduring loyalty of Apple, unusual in an industry where tech favorites rise and fall with shifting consumer whims. Like last year, Apple opted to split the release of its new iPhones, with the iPhone XR launching next month. The extra wrinkle is Apple releasing its two higher end phones first, with the more intriguing "budget" version coming on Oct. 26.

The iPhone XS and Max don't come cheap. The starting price for the 64GB iPhone XS is $999 (AU$1,629 in Australia and £999 in the UK), while the Max starts at $1,099 (AU$1,799 and £1,049). The lower-priced iPhone XR, meanwhile, starts at $749 (AU$1,229 and £749).

For that price, the smartphones get dual rear cameras, a front-facing camera with portrait mode, Apple's new A12 Bionic chip (which promises to launch apps 30 percent faster than 2017 iPhones), Faster Face ID unlocking and dual-SIM card support. Read our full iPhone XS here and iPhone XS Max review here.

Which of the two smartphones won out? It depends on the region, although many opted for the super-sized iPhone XS Max.

Sydney

Crowds queued outside the Apple Sydney store on George Street in the early hours on Friday.

The smaller iPhone XS was the pick of the day for shoppers, which included a raft of students, YouTubers and even a small phone cover company from London that spent £3,000 on flights (that's three new iPhones' worth) to get their hands on the new devices before everyone else in the UK.

While last year's iPhone X launch drew crowds looking to buy the first-of-its kind device (goodbye home button, hello Face ID), this year's queue included plenty of people just out to buy a new phone.

Namrata Singh, 37, a pilot on holiday from India, said she came down in the morning to buy a new iPhone after dropping her last one. But while she said there's an Apple store in New Delhi, India doesn't do the big launch day crowds.

"I haven't seen people queue up for Apple in India at all," she said. "So I'm quite surprised to see these queues... it's fairly fascinating. We walked by last night and there were people setting up tents, so I really thought we'd be at the other end of the block by the time we got here this morning!"

There were certainly fewer people waiting first thing on a Friday morning in Australia (there were 65 people in the walk-up line 30 minutes before the doors opened), but that may change when the lower-priced XR goes on sale next month.

First out the doors a few minutes after the store opened at 8 a.m. were Teddy Lee, a 20-year-old South Korean student studying in Sydney, and Mazen Kourouche, 21, a launch day regular (four years and counting) who buys Apple's new devices to film for his YouTube channel.

Lee, who's making the switch from Android, opted for the XS, saying he was keen for the better screen (compared to the XR) and the gold body.

"My first smartphone was iPhone 4," said Teddy Lee. "Currently I'm using Samsung but I'm going to switch to iPhone because iPhone is more [of a] fit for me."

Now playing: Watch this: iPhone XS and XS Max madness kicks off

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Kourouche bought an XS, XS Max and Apple Watch Series 4 to unbox for YouTube. While he also plans to buy an XR when it goes on sale, he was out on Friday for the gold iPhone XS, which he sees as "more on the premium end." He won't keep much of the gear though.

"I do flip a lot of my tech," he said. "Sometimes I do give them to family members. People sometimes buy them and I get to review them before I give [the phone] to them... and if they don't, I tend to buy it myself and then flip it because I've got to get my hands on it either way."

Singapore

With the sunny island state being the nearest (and only) official Apple Store for many countries in Southeast Asia, it's no wonder there was a sizeable line in front of the Orchard Road location, with many coming from places like Vietnam. Lines formed as early as 7 a.m. on a Thursday morning in Singapore for walk-ins, while those who ordered online could come by on launch day itself without having to camp outside.

Self-employed 25-year-old Phan Minh Tuan came to town with five of his friends on holiday from Vietnam to get a 256GB iPhone XS Max in gold. Phan, who also dropped by last year for the iPhone 8 Plus and X, said he found the weather a lot better this time around. He had been queuing since 5 p.m. Thursday, ahead of the Friday launch. Last year, he bought both phones and has since sold his iPhone X back home. While he is still using the iPhone 8 Plus, he plans to switch the XS Max.

"I couldn't order online because I am not a Singaporean, and also I can get a tax refund as a tourist if I do a walk-in," he added.

iphonexslaunch-singapore-01 — Singaporean Daniel Lim was the first to get his hands on the new iPhones in Singapore.
Aloysius Low/CNET

First in Singapore to get his hands on the iPhone XS Max is Singaporean Daniel Lim, a 23-year-old student who got lucky enough to be first on the preorder system. He only waited an hour for the Apple Store to open before collecting his loot. He got not one, but two 512GB iPhone XS Maxes in gold. They're for his relatives working in Vietnam.

He added that he regretted buying the iPhone X before the announcement of the new phones, and said he would have just gotten the XS Max instead.

At one point on Thursday night, representatives from Huawei showed up to hand out free battery banks to people in line. The move was an effort to promote its own long-lasting P20 Pro.

There are few better captive audiences than a group of gadget enthusiasts waiting in line.

London

The iPhone fans at the Apple Store on London's Regent Street on Friday morning were uncharacteristically media shy. In stark contrast to 2017, when the first spot was taken by a minor reality TV star, the first man in line this year was dressed in long dark coat with his hood drawn around his face. He was something of an enigma. I managed to discern that he'd been queuing since 1 p.m. on Thursday, but he declined to talk to anyone about the iPhone XS Max he later picked up inside.

p1011306 — Mystery man was all smiles when he received his iPhone.
Katie Collins/CNET

Lining up to be among the first in the country to get their hands on new phones this year were many native Londoners. Most of them, including Simon Farrar, 45, were in it for the iPhone XS Max for its bigger screen size.

But there were exceptions. Kelvin Hall was in line to pick up his preordered iPhone XS. Having lined up two years ago, he told me and it was more convenient for him to come and pick his phone up from the Apple Store rather than opt for home delivery as he worked just down the street. "And I like the party atmosphere," he added.

And the party began the moment the doors opened at 8 a.m. Apple employees whooped, clapped and high-fived customers as they trickled into the store.

p1011291 — The queue outside the Apple Store on London's Regent Street on Friday.
Katie Collins/CNET

One of the first to pick up their phones was a 19-year-old London student who didn't wish to be named. He was there at 8.30 p.m. the previous night to get his iPhone XS Max in gold.

"I can't believe I did it," he said. "It's completely sad that people do it every year." He got no sleep, he said, adding that it was too cold and loud, and he's not planning to do it again either. "I'm hoping to join the Apple Upgrade program instead," he said.

CNET's global team will cover all the Apple news as the iPhone XS goes on sale around the world -- stay tuned for hits from New York and San Francisco.

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