The recently unveiled iPhone 8 series is scheduled to hit stores in India on September 29, but an avid Apple patron was so desperate to get his hands on the new flagship device that he went to Singapore -- one of the regions of Apple's phase 1 release programme.

Indian businessman Amin Ahmed Dholiya, 43, reportedly flew to Singapore late on Thursday (September 21) and waited for 13 hours along with 200 other crazy fans (even foreigners) in front of the Apple store on Orchard Road, reported The Straits Times.

Also read: Samsung Galaxy Note8 hit stores in India ahead of Apple iPhone 8 series; price, specs and more

When the shop finally opened at 8 am next morning, Dholiya, who was standing first in the queue, bought two iPhone 8 Plus models, one for himself and one as a wedding gift for his daughter.

Apple iPhone 8 series: Is it worth buying?

Though the new Apple iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus look pretty much same as their predecessors iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, respectively, in terms of design, the new Apple devices come with a boatload of upgrades.

The key improvement is the incorporation of the glass design, which makes the device look glossy and this, in turn, can be a problem as there are chances of the device getting finger-print smudges. The company has not confirmed if they will provide oleophobic coating.

Apple iPhone 8
Apple's new iPhone 8 (R) and 8 Plus are seen after they go on sale at the Apple Store in Tokyo's Omotesando shopping district, Japan, September 22, 2017.REUTERS/Issei Kato

Another notable aspect is that iPhone 8 Plus' dual camera supports AR (Augmented Reality). Each camera is individually calibrated, with new gyroscopes and accelerometers for accurate motion tracking. AR benefits from new A11 Bionic, which handles world tracking, scene recognition and incredible graphics at 60fps, while the image signal processor does real-time lighting estimation. Apple iPhone 8 Plus' front camera will get Portrait Lighting mode support via software update before the end of 2017.

Both iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have also scored impressive scores of 92 and 94 points, respectively, on globally acclaimed DXOMark lab testing, making them the best camera phones in the market.

Apple has also finally incorporated the much-needed wireless charging capabilities in both iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8 and they also support fast charging, which according to the company, the devices can charge up to 50 percent within 30 minutes. [Full specs below]

Official global price details of Apple iPhone X and iPhone 8 series:

Models Storage Price
US($) UK (£) Dubai (UAE)AED/ Arab Emirates Dirham India (Rs.) Singapore (S$) Australia(A$)
Apple iPhone X 64GB $999 £999 AED4,099 Rs. 89,000 S$1,648 A$1,579
256GB $1,149 £1,149 AED4729 Rs. 1,02,000 S$1,888 A$1,829
Apple iPhone 8 Plus 64GB $799 £799 AED3249 Rs. 73,000 S$1,308 A$1,229
256GB $949 £949 AED3879 Rs. 86,000 S$1,548 A$1,479
Apple iPhone 8 64GB $699 £699 AED2849 Rs. 64,000 S$1,148 A$1,079
256GB $849 £849 AED3479 Rs. 77,000 S$1,388 A$1,329

In a related news, Apple's anniversary edition iPhone X (pronounced as iPhone Ten) will be put up for pre-order in India from October 27 and hit stores on November 3.

Also read: Apple iPhone X vs iPhone 8 Plus: Key Differences

Apple has also officially slashed the prices of the older iPhone models up to Rs. 14,000 in India.

Read more: Apple iPhone X, 8 series launch effect: iPhone 7, 6s, SE series get generous price cut in India

Key specifications of Apple iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8:

Models Apple iPhone 8 Plus Apple iPhone 8
Display 5.5-inch wide-screen LCD Retina HD (1920x1080p) multi-touch IPS display
  • Contrast ratio: 1300:1
  • True Tone display
  • Wide colour display (P3)
  • 3D Touch
  • Max brightness: 625 cd/m2
  • Pixel density: 401 ppi (pixels per inch)
4.7-inch wide-screen LCD Retina HD (1334x750p) multi-touch IPS display
  • Contrast ratio: 1400:1
  • True Tone display
  • Wide colour display (P3)
  • 3D Touch
  • Max brightness: 625 cd/m2
  • Pixel density: 326 ppi (pixels per inch)
OS Apple iOS 11 with improved Siri voice assistant Apple iOS 11 with improved Siri voice assistant
Processor 64-bit class Apple A11 Bionic chip with neural engine+ Embedded M11 motion coprocessor 64-bit class Apple A11 Bionic chip with neural engine+ Embedded M11 motion coprocessor
RAM (not confirmed) 3GB 2GB
Storage 64GB/256GB 64GB/256GB
Camera
  • Main: 12MP wide-angle (f/1.8 aperture) + telephoto (f/2.4 aperture) cameras with dual- Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS), Optical Zoom, Digital Zoom(up to 10x), wide colours capture for photos and Live Photos, Quad-LED True Tone flash with slow sync,Portrait mode, Portrait Lighting (beta)
  • Front: 7MP FaceTime HD camera, f/2.2 aperture, Retina Flash, Wide colour capture for photos and Live Photos, 1080p full HD video recording
  • Main: 12MP (f/1.8 aperture) camera with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS), Digital Zoom (up to 5x), wide colours capture for photos and Live Photos, Quad-LED True Tone flash with slow sync
  • Front: 7MP FaceTime HD camera, f/2.2 aperture, Retina Flash, Wide colour capture for photos and Live Photos, 1080p full HD video recording
Video recording
  • 4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps
  • 1080 full HD video recording at 30 fps/60 fps
  • Optical Image Stabilisation for Video
  • Optical Zoom/ Digital Zoom up to 6x
  • Slow-motion video support for 1080p at 120fps or 240 fps
  • Time-lapse video with stabilisation
  • 4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps
  • 1080 full HD video recording at 30 fps/60 fps
  • Optical Image Stabilisation for Video
  • Digital Zoom up to 3x
  • Slow-motion video support for 1080p at 120fps or 240 fps
  • Time-lapse video with stabilisation
Security Touch ID: Second-generation fingerprint sensor built into the Home button Touch ID: Second-generation fingerprint sensor built into the Home button
Battery
  • Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
  • Wireless charging (works with Qi chargers), Charging via USV to computer system or power adapter
  • Talk-time: up to 21 hours
  • Internet use: up to 13 hours
  • Video playback (wireless): up to 14 hours
  • Audio playback (wireless): Up to 60 hours
  • Fast-charge capable: up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
  • [Compatible with AirPower wireless charger]
  • Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
  • Wireless charging (works with Qi chargers), Charging via USV to computer system or power adapter
  • Talk-time: up to 14 hours
  • Internet use: up to 12 hours
  • Video playback (wireless): up to 13 hours
  • Audio playback (wireless): Up to 40 hours
  • Fast-charge capable: up to 50% charge in 30 minutes
  • [Compatible with AirPower wireless charger]
Network 4G-LTE Advanced with VoLTE 4G-LTE Advanced with VoLTE
Add-ons Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n/ac; MIMO), Wi-Fi calling, NFC (Near Field Communication) with reader mode, GPS/GLONASS/ Galileo & QZSS, support Augmented Reality (AR) Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n/ac; MIMO), Wi-Fi calling, NFC (Near Field Communication) with reader mode, GPS/GLONASS/ Galileo & QZSS
Dimensions 158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5 mm 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm
Weight 202 grams 148 grams
Colours Space Grey, Silver and Gold Space Grey, Silver and Gold
Price (In India)
  • 64GB: Rs. 73,000
  • 256GB: Rs. 86,000
  • 64GB: Rs. 64,000
  • 256GB: Rs. 77,000