iPhone XS launch – Apple superfans get hold of the £1,449 iPhone XS as thousands queue around the world

APPLE superfans have snapped up the new £1,449 iPhone XS overnight as the tech giant's latest product hit the shelves.

Hundreds had queued outside stores across Australia and Singapore in anticipation for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4.

Apple's Australian stores were the first to open globally due to the time difference, with dozens waiting outside the Sydney store to get their hands on the much-anticipated products.

Teddy Lee, a 20-year-old South Korean student studying in Sydney, and Mazen Kourouche, 21, who reviews Apple for his YouTube channel, were the first to snatch up Apple's newest products in Sydney.

The pair proudly posed with their new phones outside the store, with Teddy saying the purchase signalled he would be switching from Samsung to Apple.

This year, Apple is flogging handsets that cost right up to £1,449 – making it the most expensive roster of iPhones ever.

British duo Lucy Hutchinson and James Griffith flew into Australia on Thursday night and made a beeline for the George Street outlet to be sure their new iPhone accessories were a snug fit.

"It's quite a scary moment for us finding out exactly what the iPhone is like," the co-founders of Mous, a company that sells mobile phone cases, told AAP in Sydney.

"Before we send out our phone cases to everyone who has pre-ordered we want to just check them ourselves so that's why we're in Australia. If it's all OK we'll hit the big ship button."

And Apple fans similarly headed to London's Apple Store by 7am ahead of today's new iPhone launch.

Would-be customers waited outside the Regent Street store in hopes of bagging themselves a brand new model.

The price didn't put off fans, who braced chilly 12-degree weather to stand outside on Friday morning.

iPhone fans were seen wearing hoods and coats near the front of the queue to stay warm.

Apple Store staff were helping customers pre-register their devices before they even entered the store

The man at the front of the queue declined to give his name, but had been waiting since 7am.

He told The Sun: "I'm actually a Samsung owner, I'm queueing for my wife."

He said he had pre-ordered an iPhone XS Max – the most expensive iPhone ever – for his partner as an anniversary present.

Apple announced the new iPhone models last Wednesday.

All three borrow the all-screen design of last year's iPhone X – and come touting Face ID facial recognition unlocking, too.

First up is the iPhone XS, which is a direct sequel to the iPhone X, rocking a 5.8-inch display and a hefty £999 price tag.

Then there's the iPhone XS Max, which has the largest display on an iPhone ever, at 6.5 inches. It'll cost you anywhere from £1,099 to £1,499.

That makes it the most expensive iPhone ever, too.

Both of these phones became available to pre-order on Friday, September 14, and went on sale on Friday, September 21.

There's also a third model called the iPhone XR, which has a cheaper screen and aluminium (rather than stainless steel edging) and will cost just £749.

However, that model won't actually go on sale until October, which means some Apple fans will be holding out for that phone.

What's particularly exciting about the iPhone XR is that it comes in six different colours: white, black, blue, yellow, coral and red.

Are you planning to get the new iPhone? Or have you already got one? Let us know in the comments!

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