From our other sites
The story
Apple launched its new “iPhone 18 Pro” lineup in Japan on September 18. About 50 customers with reservations lined up at the Ginza flagship store, with the man at the front reportedly having rushed there on the first train of the day. The headline feature this time is enhanced camera performance, including a new function that adjusts how much light is captured, which drew attention in stores. On 5channel threads, comments ranged from surprise at the price topping 200,000 yen and jaded remarks like “isn’t camera performance good enough already?” to observations that most people in line had already pre-ordered and were simply there for pickup, plus comparisons with Android rivals like Xiaomi — reactions to this now-routine launch-day scene were split.
iPhone 18 Pro Launches, Camera Performance Draws Attention: 50-Person Line Forms at Ginza Flagship Store – Nikkei
September 18, 2026, 11:30
U.S.-based Apple launched its new “iPhone 18 Pro” smartphone and other models in Japan on the 18th. About 50 customers who had pre-ordered the new products lined up at Apple’s flagship store in Tokyo. Camera performance, including a new feature that adjusts the amount of light captured in photos, drew attention.
Source: nikkei.com / Original article here
What people said
It used to mean camping out overnight.
iPhone's really fallen on hard times.
Extra points for doing something you wouldn't expect from his look. ("Big Wave" is a nickname for a distinctive-looking internet personality/meme.)
Better value, sure, but isn't it a hassle to deal with no matter what you're doing?
Sure, specialists make the best gear — but some people just don't want to lug around a bunch of separate gadgets.
It's barely changed from before.
Sounds like their mind's still stuck in the Windows 95 / original iPhone / old Akihabara era.
What a dork.
It's just a ritual.
Everyone lining up here already has a reservation, so it's just pickup and done.
It's basically a launch-day tradition at this point.
[Japan Smartphone Market] Android Devices Grow to 54% Share — Are Price Hikes Driving People Away from iPhone? ★4 [Nominoichi★]
lining up for this probably makes sense.
so it's perfect if you've got some reason to want your face out there.
Why do they keep pushing the camera every single time?
I'm worried that if the regular iPhone doesn't come out, we won't get a budget 'e' series model using that same body.
For now it's just the Pro and the foldable this year, right?
Background and Key Points of This Story
iPhone prices in Japan have kept climbing in recent years, and Pro models have settled into the 200,000-yen-plus range. Meanwhile, some market surveys show Android’s share of the domestic smartphone market growing, with the price hikes seen as one factor behind users drifting away from iPhone. On the thread, commenters pointed out that lining up in-store is really just a “pickup ritual” for people who already pre-ordered, not a fight among overnight campers — a distinction that tends to get lost against the media’s “long line” framing. There’s also a split between “there’s no longer a noticeable difference” and “it matters if you’re doing professional-level work” when it comes to camera improvements, and that gap between the spec race and what ordinary users actually feel is at the heart of this discussion.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “iPhone 18 Pro Launches, Camera Performance Draws Attention: 50-Person Line Forms in Front of Ginza Flagship Store… The Man Waiting at the Front Rushed There on the First Train“.
Leave a Reply