iPhone 4S Rollout Continues in China and 21 Other Countries on January 13 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iPhone 4S Rollout Continues in China and 21 Other Countries on January 13

iphone 4s china
Apple today announced that it will be launching the iPhone 4S in 22 new countries on Friday, January 13, with China being the featured addition for this round of debuts.

“Customer response to our products in China has been off the charts,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “With the launch in China next week, iPhone 4S will be available in over 90 countries making this our fastest iPhone rollout ever.”

China Unicom has been the exclusive official iPhone carrier in China, and Apple's press release gives no indication whether the device will be expanded to new carriers there.

The full list of launch countries includes: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, China, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guam, Guinea Conakry, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos and Uganda.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

apple pro tell logo

Apple Launching Five New Products This Friday

Monday November 2, 2026 1:22 am PST by
Apple is releasing five new products this Friday, November 6, following pre-orders that opened last week, including its first touchscreen MacBook Pro models. The following new products will be available from Friday: iPad mini with OLED display and A20 Pro chip iMac with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen 16-inch MacBook Pro with OLED...
Apple Logo Gradient 16x9 1

Apple Isn't Done With 2026: Here's What's Still Coming

Monday November 2, 2026 7:27 am PST by
Apple's busiest season isn't over yet. Far from it. With two hardware launch dates still to come in November, plus software updates and new smart home accessories running into December, there's more on the way from Apple before the end of 2026, so be sure to stick around. Below, we've rounded up what's still coming, along with one date in particular that's worth watching if you're a holiday...
iPad Pro 2024 vs Air 2024 Feature

Three New iPads Rumored to Launch in First Half of 2027

Sunday November 1, 2026 7:27 am PST by
After announcing a new iPad mini with an OLED display earlier this month, Apple plans to release new iPad Air, iPad Pro, and entry-level iPad models in the first half of 2027, according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the next iPad Air will also feature an OLED display, while he expects the next iPad Pro to be equipped with a...

Top Rated Comments

ChinaRye Avatar
194 months ago
North Korea gets screwed again!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
194 months ago
No it isn't really as it only received regulatory approval last week.

Good news is (for me) that I just picked up a 4S in Szechuan for half the price the scalpers were asking last month and cheaper than I could buy it in the UK which was was my other option when I returned there for business in a months time.

Fair enough. Have you checked out Hong Kong? They have the cheapest Apple products that i've seen anywhere! (after conversion)[COLOR="#808080"]

----------

No it isn't really as it only received regulatory approval last week.

Good news is (for me) that I just picked up a 4S in Szechuan for half the price the scalpers were asking last month and cheaper than I could buy it in the UK which was was my other option when I returned there for business in a months time.

Fair enough. Have you checked out Hong Kong? They have the cheapest Apple products that i've seen anywhere! (after conversion)

----------



I think even if it was given regulatory approval sooner it would have have been difficult to provide the numbers to satisfy demand any earlier.

And Siri works very well in UK English here :)

You speak English in China?! :D
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
194 months ago
Surprised the 4S came out so late in China considering the market...

No it isn't really as it only received regulatory approval last week.

Good news is (for me) that I just picked up a 4S in Szechuan for half the price the scalpers were asking last month and cheaper than I could buy it in the UK which was was my other option when I returned there for business in a months time.

----------

Surprised the 4S came out so late in China considering the market...

I think even if it was given regulatory approval sooner it would have have been difficult to provide the numbers to satisfy demand any earlier.

And Siri works very well in UK English here :)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wackymacky Avatar
194 months ago
So now the Chinese can stop buying our phones in the US and shipping them to China?
Yes, just think of the carbon footprint; exporting them from China to the US, just to turn the ship around and send them back.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bushido Avatar
194 months ago
I notice that Siri isn't mentioned in this ad... odd. Although location based services won't work, phone specific ones should. I wonder why the omission?

Siri only works in english, french and german so far plus localization stuff with siri is us only
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
194 months ago
Sorry Asian Scalpers on lines....Your Time is UP:)))) I cant wait to see your face when you see normal people walking into a China Apple Store....and not funding your scalping operation
Score: 0 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
Everything New in the iOS 27.3 Beta
Everything New in the iOS 27.3 Beta
11 hours ago
Apple Music's New Selfie Sing Feature Lets You Record Karaoke Videos
Apple Music's New Selfie Sing Feature Lets You Record Karaoke Videos
11 hours ago
iPhone Jailbreak Gets Past Lockdown Mode and Survives an Update
iPhone Jailbreak Gets Past Lockdown Mode and Survives an Update
13 hours ago
iPadOS 27.3 Expands Siri Mode to Camera App
iPadOS 27.3 Expands Siri Mode to Camera App
14 hours ago
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
15 hours ago
Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals: Save Hundreds on MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and More
Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals: Save Hundreds on MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and More
16 hours ago
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
16 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Adding New StandBy Mode Features to iPhone 11 and Newer
iOS 27.3 Adding New StandBy Mode Features to iPhone 11 and Newer
16 hours ago
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
16 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to China
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to China
16 hours ago
iPhone Duo Gets Reachability in iOS 27.3 Beta
iPhone Duo Gets Reachability in iOS 27.3 Beta
16 hours ago
Siri AI Gets More Capable in iOS 27.3
Siri AI Gets More Capable in iOS 27.3
16 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Adds Vertical Tabs and Adaptive Dark Mode to Safari
iOS 27.3 Adds Vertical Tabs and Adaptive Dark Mode to Safari
17 hours ago
watchOS 27.3 Brings Live Rewind and Siri Recap to Apple Watch
watchOS 27.3 Brings Live Rewind and Siri Recap to Apple Watch
17 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Back Apple's Redesigned Health App
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Back Apple's Redesigned Health App
17 hours ago
Apple Releases First macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Beta
Apple Releases First macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Beta
17 hours ago
Apple Seeds First iOS 27.3 Beta
Apple Seeds First iOS 27.3 Beta
17 hours ago
Apple Releases First watchOS 27.3, tvOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3 Betas
Apple Releases First watchOS 27.3, tvOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3 Betas
17 hours ago
iPad Mini 8 Reviewer Dissatisfied With Apple's Excuse for Lack of 120Hz Display
iPad Mini 8 Reviewer Dissatisfied With Apple's Excuse for Lack of 120Hz Display
17 hours ago
iPad Mini 8 Review Claims Battery Life is Way Better Than Apple Says
iPad Mini 8 Review Claims Battery Life is Way Better Than Apple Says
18 hours ago
B&H Photo Launches Early Black Friday Sale With Discounts on Macs and Accessories
B&H Photo Launches Early Black Friday Sale With Discounts on Macs and Accessories
18 hours ago
iPhone Duo Could Take Nearly 30% of Foldable Market in 2027
iPhone Duo Could Take Nearly 30% of Foldable Market in 2027
19 hours ago
Apple Watch Automatically Identifies Songs Playing Around You
Apple Watch Automatically Identifies Songs Playing Around You
19 hours ago
iPhone 18 Rumored to Get Larger Battery and Potential Price Increase
iPhone 18 Rumored to Get Larger Battery and Potential Price Increase
20 hours ago
Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month
Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month
20 hours ago
Apple's Annual R&D Spending Jumps by More Than $11 Billion
Apple's Annual R&D Spending Jumps by More Than $11 Billion
21 hours ago
Will Apple Ever Merge iPadOS and macOS? John Ternus Responds
Will Apple Ever Merge iPadOS and macOS? John Ternus Responds
21 hours ago
MacBook Neo Gets Rare $30 Amazon Discount
MacBook Neo Gets Rare $30 Amazon Discount
21 hours ago
Hands-On: The OLED iPad Mini is Almost an iPad Pro Mini
Hands-On: The OLED iPad Mini is Almost an iPad Pro Mini
21 hours ago
tvOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1 Likely Coming Soon
tvOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1 Likely Coming Soon
22 hours ago