Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan to be first Asian countries to sell iPhone 5

Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan to be first Asian countries to sell iPhone 5Apple has recently revealed in a press release that the Asian countries in which the company's newly-unveiled next-generation iPhone - the iPhone 5 - will initially be launched will include Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan.

Revealing that these three countries will be the first Asian countries to sell iPhone 5 when it is released worldwide on September 21, Apple said that though the new smartphone will hit 22 more countries on September 28, no other Asian country will be included that time round.

To be available for pre-order from Friday, September 14, iPhone 5 will come in white and silver, and black and slate versions. With a thickness of barely 7.6 mm, and a 112g weight, the new iPhone will be approximately 18 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than its predecessor, iPhone 4S.

While the local operator price for iPhone 5 in Asia is yet to be officially disclosed, the US cost of the handset, for 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions, will respectively be US$199, US$299, and US$399.

According to reports, iPhone 5's suggested retail price - without contract - in Singapore is S$948 for 16GB version; S$1,088 for 32GB model, and S$1,238 for 64GB version --- which in US dollars will be $772, $886, and $1,008 respectively for the three storage versions.

Meanwhile, though the specific price points for iPhone 5 in Japan have not yet been released, the cost of an unlocked iPhone 5 in Hong Kong will probably be around HK$5,588, or US$720.