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

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...

Top Rated Comments

nuff_said Avatar
17 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
17 months ago
Apple is doomed (in China)
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sunapple Avatar
17 months ago
The catch is that you have to pick it up at the factory.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
adrianlondon Avatar
17 months ago

discounts off
discounts on
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DelayedGratificationGene Avatar
17 months ago
Apple is double doomed!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Octavius8 Avatar
17 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)