Vietnamese Consumers Pre-Order Over 220,000 iPhone 18 Units with Pro Max Models and Burgundy Colorway Driving Record Demand

The Vietnamese consumer electronics market has once again demonstrated an insatiable appetite for Apple’s flagship technology, recording an unprecedented wave of pre-orders for the newly announced iPhone 18 lineup. Authorized Apple Resellers (AARs) across the country have reported astonishing figures within the first few days of pre-order availability, shattering previous generation records and setting a new benchmark for high-end smartphone adoption in Southeast Asia. Industry analysts suggest that this surge reflects not only brand loyalty but also a broader economic resilience and a strong consumer preference for ultra-premium mobile devices heading into the final quarters of the year.

Record-Breaking Pre-Order Volumes Across Major Retailers

Market data collected from leading authorized retail chains in Vietnam highlights a dramatic escalation in consumer interest compared to the launch of the iPhone 17 series. Within the first few hours of the pre-order window opening, retail outlets were flooded with both online traffic and physical queues, compelling store management to deploy additional staff to handle the influx.

At TopZone, the premier authorized Apple reseller chain, cumulative figures by the evening of September 14 reached nearly 197,000 expressions of interest, with an impressive 179,000 customers successfully completing their financial deposits. Similarly, CellphoneS reported a staggering milestone, securing over 10,000 successful deposits within the first 15 minutes of opening their portal—representing a phenomenal 40% year-over-year increase compared to the opening day of the previous generation.

Company representatives from CellphoneS noted that prior to the official pre-order launch, nearly 40,000 customers had already registered their contact details and preferences for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max variants. Retail executives have expressed profound confidence in their supply chain logistics, assuring consumers that early depositors will receive their devices during the first wave of official deliveries.

Other major players in the Vietnamese retail landscape mirrored this robust trajectory. Di Động Việt registered 32,261 confirmed pre-orders by mid-morning on September 14, following a preregistration pool of over 25,000 prospective buyers. Meanwhile, Minh Tuấn Mobile observed a 12% increase in customer engagement for the Pro series compared to historical benchmarks, signaling an overwhelmingly positive kickoff to the peak end-of-year shopping season.

The Pro Max Dominance and the Burgundy Phenomenon

A granular analysis of consumer preferences reveals a continuation—and indeed an amplification—of the Vietnamese market’s historical tendency toward Apple’s highest-tier offerings. The luxury segment continues to dictate market momentum, with the iPhone 18 Pro Max capturing the lion’s share of consumer allocations.

According to Nguyen Ngo Thành, Deputy Director of the Apple Industry Division at FPT Shop, the iPhone 18 Pro Max accounts for approximately 94% of total pre-orders within the Pro lineup. This trend is echoed consistently across other major retailers: TopZone reports a 90% preference rate for the Pro Max, Di Động Việt sits at 85%, and 24hStore records a 79% preference, translating to roughly 5,400 individual registrations.

Storage capacity preferences also indicate pragmatic consumer behavior. The 256GB configuration has emerged as the definitive "sweet spot" for the majority of buyers, commanding 76% of choices at Di Động Việt and leading the charts at FPT Shop, TopZone, Minh Tuấn Mobile, and 24hStore with over 4,150 registrations. Industry experts attribute this to the optimal balance between long-term digital storage needs—driven by high-resolution video recording and expanding application sizes—and cost efficiency.

Beyond specifications, the introduction of a striking new colorway has catalyzed a localized market phenomenon. The newly debuted Burgundy (deep wine red) option has generated a massive cultural and commercial response. At Di Động Việt, the Burgundy finish accounts for roughly 67% of pre-orders for the Pro Max and 54% for the Pro model. The Glacier (glacial silver-blue) variant follows in second place, capturing 24% of Pro Max and 33% of Pro selections, while traditional black and silver finishes divide the remaining margin.

At 24hStore, the Burgundy model secured over 50% of total consumer interest—totaling 3,480 registrations—with the iPhone 18 Pro Max 256GB in Burgundy emerging as the single most requested SKU across the entire enterprise. Đinh Hằng, Marketing Director of 24hStore, explained the psychological driver behind this trend: "The Burgundy colorway creates a powerful visual impact with exceptionally high brand recognition. When upgrading to a new generation device, consumers consistently gravitate toward the signature color of the current release to visibly signal differentiation and ownership of the latest technology."

Background Context and Market Implications

The staggering demand for the iPhone 18 series in Vietnam occurs against a backdrop of shifting macroeconomic conditions in Southeast Asia. Over the past several years, Vietnam has transitioned from an emerging secondary market to a Tier-1 priority region for Apple. This shift has been formally underscored by the expansion of direct corporate retail presence, enhanced localized warranty and support infrastructure, and synchronized global release schedules that allow Vietnamese consumers to receive flagship products mere days after their international unveiling.

Market researchers point out that the willingness of Vietnamese consumers to commit substantial capital upfront—often spending upwards of thirty to forty million VND per device—highlights a resilient upper-middle class and a strong cultural affinity for premium status symbols. Furthermore, the aggressive trade-in programs and flexible zero-percent interest installment plans offered collaboratively by Vietnamese retailers and financial institutions have systematically lowered the barrier to entry for high-end hardware.

Timeline of the iPhone 18 Launch Cycle in Vietnam

Early September: Apple officially announces the global launch date and specifications of the iPhone 18 lineup, triggering initial speculation and spec-sheet analysis among Vietnamese tech enthusiasts.
September 10–13: Authorized Apple Resellers open preliminary registration portals, accumulating hundreds of thousands of "expressions of interest" within a 72-hour window.
September 14, Midnight / Morning: Official pre-order and deposit gates open nationwide. Retailers like CellphoneS, TopZone, FPT Shop, and Di Động Việt register record-breaking concurrent traffic, leading to server stabilization queues and thousands of confirmed deposits within the first hour.
Mid-September (Upcoming): Final allocation auditing and preparation for logistics distribution.
Late September (Upcoming): Official nationwide delivery event, where early pre-order customers will receive their devices at midnight launch parties hosted across major urban centers like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Economic and Industrial Outlook

The stellar performance of the iPhone 18 pre-order campaign serves as a reliable barometer for the broader retail technology sector in Vietnam. As consumer electronics vendors enter the lucrative fourth-quarter shopping season—which encompasses both domestic festive periods and international retail holidays—strong hardware sales often act as a catalyst for ancillary product categories, including wearable ecosystems, audio accessories, and premium protection plans.

While global supply chains continue to navigate complex logistical environments, Apple’s robust allocation strategy for Vietnam appears to have mitigated severe initial scarcity, though certain high-demand configurations, particularly the 256GB Burgundy Pro Max, are widely anticipated to experience localized stock constraints following the official delivery date. As retailers prepare to hand over devices to the record-breaking wave of over 220,000 depositors, the Vietnamese smartphone market has firmly established its capacity for rapid, high-volume absorption of the world’s most advanced consumer technology.