Did you forget to pre-order your new-fangled iPhone X last Friday? Are you feeling a deep crushing emptiness that only the latest and greatest and smartphone can fix? That's a little concerning, but you're not out of luck - yet. If you want to get your hands on an iPhone X as soon as possible, these are your options.
UPDATE: Apple is now offering limited iPhone X models for same day in-store pickup
Line up on launch day
Apple has confirmed that it will have iPhone X units available for walk-in customers on launch day, but supplies will almost certainly be limited. If you want to get an iPhone X on November 3, we'd suggest getting to your Apple store of choice well before 8am, and even then, who knows how much luck you'll have. There'll almost certainly be Apple die-hards camping out of overnight.
We've reached out to Apple Australia to confirm whether all Australian stores will have stock on November 3, and will update this story accordingly.
Of course, Apple won't be the only play to get an iPhone X on launch day; JB Hi-Fi says it will have limited iPhone X stock in stores (and in store only, there's no online orders) from 8am on November 3.
If you'd prefer to go the telco route, we've got confirmation that Optus and Virgin will both have limited launch day stock.
"The iPhone X will be available at all Optus stores for the launch this Friday, 3 November," said an Optus spokesperson. "For those looking to purchase an iPhone X through Optus, we recommend arriving to your local store early on Friday morning as we expect very strong demand."
"As with any popular handset launch, we expect that there will be more people who want the new iPhone X than available handsets," said a Virgin spokesperson. "All Virgin Mobile stores will have a limited quantity of iPhone X handsets on launch day. Our current advice is that stores will operate as normal, with most locations opening from 8am on 3 November, but as with all popular handset launches it’s always a good idea to get there early, call ahead or check our website to avoid disappointment."
Those looking to walk into a Vodafone store on Friday morning won't have much luck however; the telco is focusing on fulfilling existing pre-orders first.
"We’ve had huge demand for the iPhone X across a range of our flexible, no lock-in handset payment options which we launched earlier in the year," said a Vodafone spokesperson. "We’re focusing initially on fulfilling pre-orders made in-store, online and over-the-phone and will follow this soon with a broader retail rollout."
We're still waiting on word from Telstra.
Pre-order anyway
Right now Apple's local online store is suggesting delivery dates of between five to six weeks for all four iPhone X configurations. That's a bit of a wait, but it's also not terrible; with any luck, you'll still have "the new hotness" before Christmas.
If you were hoping to get your iPhone X on a plan, telco pre-order timelines are a bit less set in stone. Virgin Mobile is currently suggesting up to a four week wait post launch, Vodafone says six to eight weeks, while Telstra and Optus simply say the phones are "available for backorder" without a specific time frame.
Harvey Norman is also taking pre-orders, but you'll need to physically go into a store to make one. We'd suggest you ask about the time frame when you make your order to avoid disappointment.
Pay the eBay premium
If you’re really desperate, enterprising individuals (also known as scumbags) are hawking their iPhone X pre-orders on eBay at a massive mark-up. We've seen people with "day one" pre-orders manage to sell their newly acquired devices for over $4,000, with promises of launch day delivery.
Holy shit. People are paying far too much money for the #iPhoneX on eBay. Almost makes $1,579 seem reasonable. pic.twitter.com/svXLH0iJWE
— Alex Chorror ?? (@a_choros) October 30, 2017
Most auctions we've seen are currently floating around the $2,000 or so mark, which is still a reasonable mark up from the iPhone X's $1,579 asking price. While eBay is certainly an option, we'd advise just waiting the month and a half or so and saving yourself some money - and avoiding potential scams.
Alex Choros
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