This Delhi man chose an iPhone 18 Pro instead of a Japan trip. The reason

Every year, the launch of a new iPhone brings with it two familiar sights: long queues outside Apple stores and a fresh round of jokes about how much the latest model costs and some very interesting stories. This year is no different.

The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max went on sale in India on September 18, with buyers turning up at Apple stores in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, some of them waiting through the night. At Apple Saket in Delhi's Select Citywalk Mall, customers began gathering as early as 1 am to get their hands on the new models.

The prices, meanwhile, have given the internet plenty to talk about. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at Rs 1,64,900 for the 256GB variant and goes up to Rs 3,14,900 for the 2TB model. The iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at Rs 1,79,900 and goes up to Rs 3,29,900 for the 2TB version.

So, naturally, came the question: at that price, why not take a holiday instead?

Mo of Everything reporter Shivang Shukla to one such buyer waiting at Select Citywalk in Delhi. And when people around him suggested that the money could have been spent on a foreign holiday, Japan, for instance, his answer was simple: the two aren't comparable. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mo (@mo.of.everything)“A lot of people are saying, ‘You could have gone on a foreign trip instead. You could have gone to Japan.’”

Then came his defence of the purchase: “This is stupidity. Look, this is stupidity. You can do everything in life. A foreign trip is a different kind of trip, and this is a passion. There’s no price for a passion, brother.”

For some buyers, it is not simply about needing a new phone. It is about wanting the newest model, being among the first to get it and, in some cases, treating the annual iPhone upgrade as a ritual in itself. That enthusiasm was visible across cities on Friday. Customers queued outside Apple stores in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, with some arriving hours before opening time. One Bengaluru customer even described the annual iPhone launch as being like a festival.- EndsPublished By: Tiasa Bhowal Published On: Sep 18, 2026 11:50 IST