iPhone 17 Pro Max Non-Orange Variant: Skyrocketing Prices, Even $10 Million Extra Might Not Secure a Purchase

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max series this year were unveiled in three stunning colors: Cosmic Orange, Silver, and Deep Blue. As expected, the new color—Cosmic Orange—initially stole the spotlight. However, just days after the launch, the tables turned unexpectedly: the Silver variant emerged as the most sought-after, with its market price surging higher than even the Cosmic Orange model.

A survey of several small retailers in Ho Chi Minh City revealed that the iPhone 17 Pro Max in Silver is priced significantly higher than its listed value, with markups ranging from 8 to 10 million VND. Specifically, the 256GB Cosmic Orange version is sold at 45 million VND, while the Silver counterpart fetches between 46 and 48 million VND. The trend continues for the 512GB model: the Cosmic Orange variant caps at 50 million VND, but the Silver version skyrockets to 54 million VND, a stark contrast to its listed price of 44.5 million VND.

Mr. Tuan Thanh, a seasoned Apple product retailer in Ho Chi Minh City, noted that both the Cosmic Orange and Silver versions have garnered immense interest, accounting for 90% of recent customer inquiries. He explained, “Buyers are paying an additional 5 to 8 million VND for the Cosmic Orange model, and up to 10 million VND for the Silver variant. Prices fluctuate constantly based on supply, and while demand is high, inventory remains limited. The Silver version, in particular, has a smaller supply, making it scarcer and driving prices even higher.”

Interestingly, Silver is not a new color, yet it has unexpectedly become the rarest variant. Retailers attribute this to limited supply coupled with a surge in demand as consumers shift from Cosmic Orange to Silver to avoid delays. This imbalance has fueled price hikes in the market.

This year, Vietnam was among the first markets to launch the new iPhones, with deliveries commencing on September 19. Due to time zone differences, Vietnamese customers even received their devices before those in the United States, further boosting local demand.

In the first three days of sales, Vietnam witnessed a massive spending spree, with thousands of billions of VND poured into the new iPhones. The Gioi Di Dong reported over 100,000 pre-orders, while Viettel Store announced more than 70,000 orders on its website. Smaller retailers like Minh Tuan Mobile and Di Dong Viet recorded around 20,000 purchases. These figures exclude the substantial sales from other major retailers such as FPT Shop, CellphoneS, Hoang Ha Mobile, and ShopDunk, which have yet to disclose detailed sales data.