Apple pledge: pre-orders for iPhone 17 have started to be accepted in Russia

Without waiting for either the official presentation of the new Apple smartphone (which is believed to be called the iPhone 17), or the announcement of specifications and world prices for it, Russian retailers began pre-ordering this gadget. Some of them charge potential buyers a deposit, promising that they will be among the first recipients of the new device. Experts do not expect both explosive demand for the new iPhone and its sharp decline — in our country, Apple's loyal audience is still very large. The possible start date of sales and prices for the iPhone 17 are in the Izvestia article.

Where in Russia can I order a new iPhone 17

Despite the fact that the characteristics of the new Apple smartphones are not yet known for sure, and the date of their presentation has not yet been officially determined, pre-orders for them are already starting in Russia. Market participants told Izvestia about this.

— On August 19, we are launching the sale of virtual certificates for iPhone 17 in our online store. The certificate gives the owner the opportunity to receive new items as one of the first in Russia. The cost of the virtual certificate is 25 thousand rubles," Andrey Gubanov, CEO of the MTS retail chain, told Izvestia. — This amount is taken into account when buying a new iPhone, so when receiving the device, the customer will only need to deposit the remaining amount.

Andrey Gubanov expects that the demand for new iPhones will significantly exceed the figures of the previous line. The iPhone 17 will become one of the key smartphone market innovations in 2025, despite the growing competition, he believes. In 2024, MTS also launched sales of virtual certificates for new products — their sales were 18% higher than for certificates for the purchase of the iPhone 15 in 2023, recalls Andrey Gubanov.

Beeline has also opened registration for pre-ordering new products from Apple. At the same time, the exact list of devices that the company will present in September 2025 remains secret until their presentation, the company told Izvestia.

— It is very easy to place a pre—order earlier than others - just fill out the form on the operator's website and wait for a call from a call center employee who will contact you on the day the pre—order starts, - his press service noted.

Megafon plans to launch pre-orders for the iPhone 17 and Apple Watch 11 in early September, the date will be determined after the announcement of the day of the official presentation of new products, the operator's press service noted.

— Today on the restore network's website: you can leave your details, and we will send you a notification about the start of the pre—order and when sales will begin, - says Lyudmila Semushina, a representative of Inventive Retail Group.

Pre-order with 100% prepayment on the website and in the chain's stores will open simultaneously with the whole world, she promises. According to Semushina, the price of the smartphone will be clear after the manufacturer's announcement at the annual conference.

— Last year, Wildberries was the first to start selling the iPhone 16. This year, we plan to repeat this success and provide our customers with the opportunity to order the iPhone 17 immediately after the Apple presentation, so that they receive the new items before anyone else," a representative of the marketplace told Izvestia. — We expect demand to be higher than last year, which is due, among other things, to the scaling of this area of work.

Ozon plans to open a pre-order for Apple's new products, presented during the presentation, a few hours after the end of the broadcast, the company said.

— For example, last year the opportunity to pre-order appeared at midnight. Prices for the devices will also be announced at the same time. Every year, Ozon delivers devices as quickly as possible — we understand that customers are very much waiting for new products from Apple," the marketplace's press service noted.

Will the new gadget be in demand?

M.Video-Eldorado will announce the launch of pre-orders for the iPhone on the day of the presentation of new products, the press service of the united retailer noted.

— Traditionally, the iPhone and Apple Watch are among the most interesting new products of the year. We expect high sales of updated Apple gadgets," they said.

In the "Refrigerator.<url>" pre-order has also not started yet, said its commercial director Alexey Pogudalov.

— Orders from the vendor will open on September 12th. Pre—orders for retail consumers will begin immediately after the presentation, starting on September 9, when the exact parameters and price of the product will be known," he said. — The product will go on sale on the world market after September 19, and approximately by the end of September in the Russian Federation. The price of the new iPhone is projected at the level of the previous model on the release date, starting at $799.

Alexey Pogudalov predicts demand no higher than last year's level.

— Presumably, the basic version will cost from $799, the Pro Max version — from $1249. Prices in rubles will depend on the exchange rate and sellers' policies. At the beginning of sales, prices traditionally reach their peak: "gray" resellers actively buy up new items and resell them at a premium through online trading platforms," says Artur Makhlayuk, senior business analyst at Marvel Distribution. — However, after one and a half to two weeks, the situation will stabilize, as parallel import shipments force even large retailers to reduce the cost of devices, which evens out the market.

As a result, prices for individual entrepreneurs and "gray" sellers differ from official retail by only a few percent, the expert claims.

It is unlikely that interest in new models will show explosive growth, but a significant drop in demand is also not expected, predicts Artur Makhlayuk. Most likely, it will remain at a level comparable to last year, he believes. New items will be bought mainly by fans of the brand, whose number is relatively stable and almost does not change from year to year, the expert concludes.