Apple Offers Rare iPhone Discounts in China to Counter Sales Slump

Apple will launch a rare promotional discount on its iPhones in China, offering customers as much as 500 yuan ($70) off the price of its flagship devices ahead of the Lunar New Year in February.

apple discounts lunar new year 2024
The promotion, which runs from January 18 through January 21, applies to everything from the iPhone 13 to the ‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro Max, and also includes smaller discounts off other major Apple products like Macs, iPads, AirPods, and Apple Watch models.

Apple's discounts are notable because the company does not typically offer promotions on its website around the Lunar New Year, usually leaving promotions to Apple authorized resellers instead.

The move comes as Apple tries to stave off falling ‌iPhone‌ sales in China, with last year's double-digit decline projected by analysts to deepen through 2024 owing to strong interest in Huawei's latest home-grown lineup, the Mate 60 series.

Released in September just weeks before the ‌iPhone‌ 15, Huawei's Mate 60 phones use a new China-made 7-nanometer processor tailored for the local market, showcasing the kind of advanced semiconductor manufacturing capabilities that US sanctions were originally designed to prevent.

Despite the promotions, Apple's efforts to counter its sales slump are likely to be hampered by China's decision last year to ban iPhones from the offices of multiple government agencies and state companies.

Tag: China

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says These 7 U.S. States Plan to Offer iPhone Driver's Licenses

Monday February 9, 2026 6:24 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New MacBook Pros Could Now Arrive in March

Sunday February 8, 2026 6:02 am PST by
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3. The launch is said to be slated for as early as the week of March 2. He added that the M4 Pro and M4 Max models on sale today...

Top Rated Comments

nuff_said Avatar
27 months ago

I'm curious how Apple is doing in the Chinese market. In some sectors like automobiles, consumers seem to increasingly prefer local brands. Would not surprise me if we see similar developments in the smartphone market.
I believe, on a cost per unit basis, Apple is doing just fine in China - just like they are everywhere in the world, but the issue is units moved. This minor discount won’t help much because you’re attempting to attract a Chinese audience who are, just like most other people anywhere, facing larger issues than having the newest iPhone - which, if I recall correctly, Chinese carriers don’t offer subsidized contracts for.
Furthermore, Xiaomi, Huawei, and other Chinese companies are getting significantly better at locking people into their own respective ecosystems providing better and, more importantly, local experiences and benefits, at a fraction of the price Apple does.
I’m sure I’ll get a bunch of dislikes for this but here we go: Xiaomi, for example, has a large and valuable ecosystem offering in China at better prices and a more aesthetically pleasing hardware that works incredibly well when compared to what Apple provides (i.e. phone, watch, laptop, desktop, headphones, and soon headset)
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kaishockz Avatar
27 months ago
Apple is doomed (in China)
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sunapple Avatar
27 months ago
The catch is that you have to pick it up at the factory.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
adrianlondon Avatar
27 months ago

discounts off
discounts on
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DelayedGratificationGene Avatar
27 months ago
Apple is double doomed!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Octavius8 Avatar
27 months ago
Lack of innovation. Sadly we won't experience those advanced phones.
Stuck with 15 PM which is a 14, which is a 13 basically. Same speed, 1 or 2 not so frequently used "new" features (and also some Features removed), and, off course, titanium as the greatest innovation in phone.Ever..
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)