Malaysians lined up outside Apple The Exchange TRX in Kuala Lumpur as early as 4:30am on 18 September, keen to be among the first to get their hands on the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
The Apple Store opened its doors at 8:00am, with separate queues for pre-order pickups and walk-in purchases. Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro series had started the previous Saturday, 12 September, SoyaCincau reported.
The first customer in line for pre-order pickup was James, a 25-year-old from Selangor, who arrived at 4:30am. He collected an iPhone 18 Pro Max in Black with 256GB of storage. The first walk-in customer was a visitor from Uzbekistan, according to WeirdKaya.
Social media posts showed long queues forming at several Apple Store locations across the country. One user shared a video of customers already lining up at 4:00am, while another posted a photograph of a packed queue at the TRX store at 5:50am.
The iPhone 18 Pro starts from RM5,499 for the 256GB model, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max begins at RM5,999. Both models are available in four colours: Burgundy, Glacier, Silver and Black. The 256GB and 512GB variants retain the same starting prices as last year’s iPhone 17 Pro series, though higher-capacity versions are more expensive. The 1TB models cost RM1,000 more and the 2TB options RM2,000 more than their predecessors.
Malaysia is now the cheapest place in Southeast Asia to buy the iPhone 18 Pro. The 256GB model costs about US$1,351 in Malaysia, making it the fourth-cheapest market globally after the United States at US$1,199, Canada at about US$1,320 and Hong Kong at US$1,339, VnExpress reported, citing Japanese price comparison site Nukeni.
Thailand is the second cheapest market in Southeast Asia at about US$1,468, followed by Singapore at US$1,492, Vietnam at US$1,500 and the Philippines at US$1,509.
Unlike previous years, Apple is only launching two models from its main iPhone 18 lineup for now. The standard iPhone 18 is expected to arrive next year. Both Pro models feature a new 48MP Fusion Main camera with a variable aperture, Apple’s A20 Pro chip and an improved thermal management system. The iPhone 18 Pro retains a 6.3-inch display while the Pro Max gets a larger 6.9-inch screen, with up to 43 hours of video playback.
Apple’s first foldable, the iPhone Duo, will arrive in Malaysia on 23 October. Pre-orders start at 8:00pm on 16 October, priced from RM9,499 for the 256GB model.
