Apple will get a taste of whether upgraded features on the new iPhone 11 are enough to lure shoppers to retail stores around the world as the new smartphones officially hit shelves Friday.

At the Apple flagship store on Regent Street, a handful of diehard iPhone fans started waiting in line to purchase the new smartphones Thursday evening. As of 6 a.m. Friday, roughly 40 customers were waiting for the doors to open. The number started rising as Apple opened its doors.

There were also lines outside of Apple's Fifth Avenue store in New York on Friday morning. The store officially reopens at 8 a.m. ET after more than two years of renovations. CEO Tim Cook greeted the crowd as he made his way inside.

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Among the features customers were most excited about: the triple-camera system on the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

"Instead of buying a new camera, I prefer to upgrade my phone," said Tarif Karanfil, who started waiting in line around 6am Friday morning to upgrade from the iPhone 7 to the iPhone 11 Pro Max.