Crowds gathered in huge numbers at malls in Dubai, social media footage showed, as the Apple iPhone 16 lineup officially went on sale in stores across the country on Friday.

The city recorded residents as well as tourists who had flown in from across the globe to line up to grab their respective devices – some arriving as early as 5am determined to be among the first buyers.

This year, however, there were new rules in place, according to Khaleej Times. No walk-ins were allowed and specific time slots were allotted to those who made online reservations.

Apple restricted the number of phones that could be purchased to two per Apple ID, in order to restrict those buying more than 10 iPhones in one go.

Nonetheless, people got creative, using different IDs to take home multiple devices, added the report.

Customers from Russia – where Apple stores have closed down – as well as Turkey, where the iPhones are reportedly DHS12,000 with taxes, added Khaleej Times.

The iPhone 16 Pro starts at AED4,299, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max is priced at AED5,099 for its base model in the UAE.

At the moment, no word on how much the respective models will cost here in Pakistan, after the plethora of duties and taxes.

Earlier in September, Apple unveiled its iPhone 16, focusing on how its flagship device’s features are infused with artificial intelligence.

However, its launch drew scorn for its lack of artificial intelligence features in China, a challenge for the U.S. giant as it battles growing competition from Huawei Technologies in the world’s largest smartphone market.

Meanwhile, authorised resellers like Jumbo Electronics or Sharaf DG will also likely be stocking the iPhones in Dubai.