<span>Unofficial retailers are selling the iPhone X for almost 20 per cent more than official outlets, with many Apple fans willing to pay a premium to bypass a month-long wait.</span> <span>By the time you finish reading this article, however, those prices may have changed.</span> <span>“The market prices are higher than those at the Apple store,” said Shahid Aziz, manager at Al Mayyas Mobile Phone in Abu Dhabi.</span> <span>The price at which he bought iPhone X stock from his distributor was up to Dh100 higher than </span><span>official Apple prices, which are Dh4,099 for the 64GB model, and Dh4,729 for the 256GB one.</span> <span>At more than 20 unaffiliated iPhone mobile </span><span>retailers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, prices averaged Dh4,500 (64GB) and Dh5,500 (256GB) on Wednesday, but were fluctuating almost by the minute with the arrival of new shipments.</span> <span>Wednesday's prices were Dh55 higher than the day before, and they may change again in less than 24 hours, said the Rixos Group in Dubai.</span> <span>“Right now there isn’t much stock in the market and everyone is selling high, but tomorrow more consignments will arrive,” said John Ibrahim, a Rixos sales representative.</span> <span>And just like that, the market price will change.</span> <span>The grey market shops – outlets that are not authorised Apple distributors – were selling the iPhone X in two versions, one with FaceTime, and one without.</span> <span>This popular iOS video calling application is </span><span>unlicenced in the UAE and many other Gulf countries, and mobiles acquired through official channels will not have the application installed.</span> <span>The FaceTime models from other countries are in high demand, said Emerson John, manager at Royal World Mobile Phones.</span> <span>“So far I’ve sold 21 pieces, mostly 64GB with FaceTime,” Mr John said.</span> ____________ <strong>Read more:</strong> ____________ <span>Having this </span><span>unauthorised feature can cost 3 per cent more than the already marked-up prices of the grey market mobiles.</span> <span>Dubai’s Hotline Mobile Phone has 15 devices available for between Dh4,500 and Dh5,350, with FaceTime models costing Dh150 more. That is less than they were over the weekend.</span> <span>Mustafa Pourshansi, branch manager at Al Safa, said prices had decreased by nearly Dh600 since the official Friday launch. </span> <span>By next week they may drop by another Dh100 or Dh150, he said.</span> <span>Third-party distributors are not illegal, but customers choosing this route should be careful because the warranty on these devices may be void.</span> <span>Mobile company and official retailer du said it had the models available inside its shops throughout the UAE for the standard rate with a valid warranty, although its website said delivery would take three to four weeks. </span> <span>“We are continuously monitoring the demand and stocks are being replenished wherever needed,” a spokesman for du said.</span> <span>That has not stopped UAE shoppers from hitting the grey market.</span> <span>Stock for the 256GB model was thin yesterday, giving some retailers, such as Al Wavi Mobile Trading, an excuse to increase prices to as high as Dh5,700.</span> <span>But the shop said it was aware prices might fall, and would check the market again when it received more devices tomorrow and recalculate.</span>