The 5 Best Shops to Buy Cell Phones in Dubai
Are you finally thinking of upgrading your current phone to get the latest features? You can typically get affordable prices and a wide array of options when it comes to cell phone stores in Dubai!
Whether you are after the latest, top-of-the-line flagship or something more modest for the budget, here are some of the best places to buy cell phones in Dubai regardless of your preferred models:
How Much Does it Cost to Buy Cell Phones in Dubai
Nowadays, cell phones come in many different builds and specifications, making it easy to find decent models at every budget level. Obviously, flagship phones with the best parts, camera, and features will be pricier than more modest handsets.
Check out this small table showing the average range of different mobile phone brands in Dubai to get a good idea of how much you could spend on a new device.
Choosing the Best Places to Buy Cell Phones in Dubai
When it comes to finding the best stores for our flagships and mid-rangers, we’ve primarily compared them based on these factors:
1. Samsung Store
| RATING | |
| FACILITIES | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| PRODUCTS | ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) |
| Variety | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Support | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| CUSTOMER SERVICE | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Professionalism | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Communication | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| ACCESSIBILITY | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
If you’re interested in what is possibly the most popular Android brand, then you’ll probably be glad to know that Samsung does have its own official stores in some of the biggest shopping centres in Dubai.
In our experience, these can be a good place to start your search since they are able to keep a decent amount of stock and at decent prices especially during promos.
The store even doubles as a museum of sorts, since you can view their latest models and accessories as well as try them out before you commit to a purchase.
We think prices are quite competitive for their popular flagship Galaxy S series and even more for the more budget and mid-range oriented Galaxy A series phones. They’re competitive enough to match other nearby retailers.
Additionally, it’s also a good place to get compatible Galaxy Buds, earphones, and fast chargers for your phone. They even have a few non-phone related appliances like TVs if you’re interested in them.
Of course, this automatically means that it’s not a place for you to go in and compare different brands before making up your mind since you’re not going to find other phone brands here.
And while they do offer good support for the phones they sell, we did find the phone service to be a bit slow possibly due to volume.
Overall, if you’re interested in the Samsung ecosystem and have a particular fondness for their phones, then we can easily recommend that you visit the official Samsung stores in Dubai.
Pros
- Very stylish stores
- Excellent selection of branded phones and peripherals
Cons
- Definitely more for people already in the ecosystem
- Phone service can be a bit busy at times
Customer Reviews
Attentive consultants who are always ready to help
“Attentive consultants who are always ready to help. There are good discounts on phones here now, so keep that in mind if you are planning to buy one.” – D D
Very friendly staff. Happy to visit again
“Visited the store. Got in touch with Ms. Himesha. She helped in selecting the right device as per our need. Very friendly staff. Happy to visit again.” – Anuja Ramesh
2. Apple Store
| RATING | |
| FACILITIES | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| PRODUCTS | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Variety | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Support | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| CUSTOMER SERVICE | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Professionalism | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Communication | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| ACCESSIBILITY | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
If you prefer the ecosystem that Apple has built then you’re also in luck as you can find official Apple Stores in major shopping malls as well.
We think its layout is just as clean if not a bit more spacious when compared to something like the Samsung Store, given their smaller and more focused selection of Apple products on display.
The place definitely felt more like a cafe or museum of sorts, given the cleaner, more minimalistic design language.
In terms of products, you can get Apple TVs, iPhones, iPads, Mac computers, Apple Watch and of course, their popular airpods at about the same prices you can get them from other stores in our opinion.
Staff is quite good and professional as well. They’re very attentive and knowledgeable when answering customer’s questions without feeling too overbearing as you shop and look around.
The process for getting support like repair and replacements are smooth enough in our opinion. However, we did find that they do have a backlog so it might take a bit longer when it comes to getting your item back if it needs to be taken in.
And of course, you probably aren’t visiting this store unless you’re already invested in the Apple ecosystem.
Still, it is a nice shopping experience overall, especially because of the quality of service given by the staff. If iPhones are your preferred daily driver then we definitely recommend giving the official stores a visit.
Pros
- Great selection of Apple products
- Very attentive and supportive staff
Cons
- Service can be quite backed up for repairs
- Only for those already in the ecosystem
Customer Reviews
Customer service on this experience was as high as I’ve ever received
“We arrived and bought a new phone and had lots of data to transfer. After a couple of failed efforts Osama remained patient, offered a number of solutions and eventually managed to get the transfer complete. Customer service on this experience was as high as I’ve ever received.” – Joshua Glynn
Design is super!
“That is really an amazing place. Design is super! Even though I was confused as it doesn’t look like a store, rather like a museum. Anyway I love it!” – Egor Shulakov
3. Sharaf DG
| RATING | |
| FACILITIES | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| PRODUCTS | ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) |
| Variety | ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) |
| Support | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| CUSTOMER SERVICE | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Professionalism | ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) |
| Communication | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| ACCESSIBILITY | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Sharaf DG is a big-box retailer for all sorts of electronics and tech items in Dubai. They’re located in some of the most popular shopping centres in the city, making them a convenient tech hub of sorts.
The stores are generally huge yet there’s sufficient navigation queues and signs in order to aid customers towards the category of items they actually want to see. And there’s enough space to walk around if you want to browse for other items as well.
You can get a lot of different phone models from different brands within Sharaf DG’s stores. You can get popular names like Apple and Samsung as well as some of the top Chinese brands like Xiaomi and Oneplus.
Delivery is also said to be quite fast in case you want a more convenient experience by just buying your preferred phone online.
Do note that we had some inconsistencies when it comes to certain configurations as well. As an example, we weren’t able to find an 8GB RAM + 128 GB ROM configuration for a phone we liked.
There are a few improvements we’d like to see regarding their communications. For example, some customers reported inconsistencies with the stock where the website may display it as available but it’s out of stock in the store.
Additionally, some customers also complained about the lack of communication when it comes to delivery times. We think this can be a slight inconvenience since the homeowner may not be around when delivery arrives.
Fortunately, those who did get their deliveries on time seemed to be very happy with the transaction.
Overall though, Sharaf DG is a great place to get your phones on retail. We definitely recommend giving them a visit when you’re in the area.
Pros
- Competent repair services
- Promos can really help with phone prices
Cons
- Slow updates with regards to delivery
- Restock takes some time
Customer Reviews
Really knows how to handle customer complaints and make your dream come true
“Very good and trained staff. Especially Manuraj, he really knows how to handle customer complaints and make your dream come true. He fixed our 2 problems on the spot with his great smile. Thank you for being a good example.” – Donna Ibrahim
All brands of electronics available at very reasonable prices
“Very big and all brands of electronics available at very reasonable prices.” – Qais Al-Qadoumi
4. Virgin Mega Store
| RATING | |
| FACILITIES | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| PRODUCTS | ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) |
| Variety | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Support | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| CUSTOMER SERVICE | ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) |
| Professionalism | ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) |
| Communication | ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) |
| ACCESSIBILITY | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Virgin Megastore is a massive, popular retail chain operating in many major shopping outlets in Dubai. It’s a great place to buy all sorts of tech-related items and appliances in the city.
The stores are very clean and everything is well-organised, making it easy to find the items you’re looking for. They also have adequate staff making rounds so help is always close by.
We’re also quite impressed with the selection of phones on offer. They not only have the latest flagships and mid-range handsets from heavyweights like Apple and Samsung, but they also have other brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Oneplus.
There’s also a good selection of budget items, which we think is quite handy should you lose a phone and just need a quick replacement such as the Samsung A04.
One thing to consider when buying from Virgin is that they have a very strict return process. Customers have reported waiting a long while as the store assessed if a phone was eligible for return or replacement.
Also, we also found that it takes some time for some phone brands to restock once they run out. Some customers have reported seeing a phone in-stock online only to find them out of stock in the actual store.
Still, Virgin is able to keep a wide array of items and alternatives at different budget levels. For those who wish to buy a phone conveniently and with a more standard retail experience, we highly recommend checking them out.
Pros
- Easy accessibility via multiple branches
- Great selection of different phone brands
Cons
- Strict refund process
- Some models take a while to restock
Customer Reviews
Easy to find what you want
“Large variety of products. Mainly good brands. Very good display of products. Easy to find what you want. Clean and properly managed.” – Abdullah
The staff is very friendly, helpful and polite
“Good store for shopping electronics, books, etc. Well laid out store. The staff is very friendly, helpful and polite. The staff was very keen to answer my queries. They had a very nice book collection. Gift wrapping available.” – James Thomas
5. Akheeer Used Mobiles
| RATING | |
| FACILITIES | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| PRODUCTS | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Variety | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Support | ★★★☆☆ (3.5/5) |
| CUSTOMER SERVICE | ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) |
| Professionalism | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Communication | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| ACCESSIBILITY | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
One way of saving money without compromising on the features and performance of your next phone is by buying something used. In this case, Akheeer Used Mobiles is a decent place to start looking.
It is located at Al Fahidi, and it’s a rather popular store in the area for buying used devices from different brands and models.
We found it to be a bit out of the way though, and parking is quite limited. It’s also a bit challenging to locate for the first time, given the lack of adequate street signs pointing us to our destination.
In addition to getting older and used flagships from the store, they also offer mobile repair services for some damaged handsets. We think this can be quite useful since they can still repair rarer phones like the Sony Xperia.
We also like how the store is quite transparent regarding the status of the phones for sale, at least to the best of their ability.
Of course, you do get what you pay for when it comes to used mobiles. While the store is able to ensure that the phone at least works, you might notice drop-offs in performance earlier than something brand new.
Still, it is a decent place to get something used for a more affordable price if there’s certain features you still want in an older flagship and can’t afford the latest iteration at the moment.
Overall, we will recommend those interested in a used phone to give Akheeer a visit. We suggest being careful of course, and to really research and test the models you are intending to get in order to avoid any regrets.
Pros
- Very competitive prices
- Good repairs for older phone models
Cons
- Product quality can be quite inconsistent
- Difficult parking
Customer Reviews
Very good phone and price
“I bought used iPhone 8+, very good phone and price. Sales guy entertained me with Saffron Tea also.” – Faisal Makhdoom
Highly recommended for a used phone
“Friendly staff. Highly recommended for a used phone.” – Sajjad Ali
FAQs about Cell Phones in Dubai
We hope you enjoy your latest purchase! And in case you need some new entertainment or games, you can also check out our list of the best places to buy video games in Dubai!