Chinese websites start selling latest iPhone models with discounts of up to $351 – Reuters
Chinese e-commerce platforms have started offering deep discounts on new iPhone 16 smartphones, up to about $351 (2,530 yuan), to boost sales amid falling Apple shipments in China, Reuters reports.
This comes ahead of China's massive annual shopping festival "618", which will take place on June 18. Due to the economic slowdown, Chinese retailers are trying to attract consumers with low prices.
In particular, the largest online retailer JD.com is selling the 128GB iPhone 16 Pro model for 5,469 yuan ($759), which is 2,530 yuan cheaper than Apple's official price of 7,999 yuan.
The 256GB iPhone 16 model is available for the same 5,469 yuan, which is 1,530 yuan lower than the recommended price of 6,999 yuan.
It is currently unknown whether Apple is directly involved in these discounts or whether this is an initiative of online platforms.
Apple has previously cut prices on its latest models to boost sales during the "618" festival, said Will Wong, senior smartphone analyst at IDC.
"Apple is repeating its sales promotion strategy that was used during last year's shopping event. The company is reducing prices on the iPhone 16 Pro to take advantage of China's government subsidies for digital products," Wong added.
Selective discounts are part of Apple's pricing strategy in China. In January, the company offered discounts of up to 500 yuan on its own website, and Chinese e-commerce platforms have also introduced similar offers in previous years.
The American tech giant's smartphone shipments in China fell 9% in the first quarter of 2025, while local rivals Xiaomi and Huawei Technologies showed growth of 40% and 10%, respectively, according to market data from IDC.
Analysts have previously warned that iPhone prices in the US could rise sharply given Apple's high reliance on imports from China, a major device manufacturing hub that is subject to Trump's highest tariff rate of 125%.
Bloomberg wrote that the American technology giant Apple, due to the US trade war with a number of countries , found itself on the verge of the most severe crisis since Covid.
The WSJ reported that Apple is considering raising iPhone prices, but is afraid to attribute this to the impact of tariffs.
