The US smartphone giant has launched an aggressive campaign to draw Chinese consumers
Apple is determined to grab back many of the Chinese consumers it has lost to Huawei in recent years, and part of that involves slashing iPhone prices for massive savings on select models.
The campaign rolled out on the brand’s official Tmall site
At the beginning of the campaign, the iPhone prices were discounted by as much as 2,300 yuan ($318) on certain models of the smartphone.
This aggressive effort has arrived at a time when Apple is working hard to hold its position as a popular high-end device in the largest cell phone market in the world. That said, this is not easy to accomplish, as the competition is fierce. This is particularly true when it comes to local competitors such as Huawei.
The discounts are for a limited time only but are running for long enough that many Chinese consumers will have the opportunity to benefit from them. The campaign launched on May 20 and will continue through May 28.
Not the first time iPhone prices have been slashed in China in 2024
This is the second large sale Apple has offered on its devices in China this year. The last one was in February, though it appears that the most recent offerings have cut prices even further than those a few months ago.
Last February, the deepest discounts offered were 1,150 yuan. This time, they’re up to twice that amount.
The specific device seeing the biggest savings is the 1TB iPhone 15 Pro Max model. That said, other models are also being discounted during the limited time. For example, the iPhone 15 base model of 128 GB has been reduced by 1,400 yuan, according to a recent Reuters report. That’s no small discount and is still larger than the deepest reduction that was offered on any device in February.
Apple is facing profound pressure in the country following the launch of Huawei’s latest series of high-end smartphones that were rolled out in April. These included the Pura 70. Moreover, they’re hardly the only launch Huawei has made in recent months, with the Mate 60 having hit the stores in August 2023.
The iPhone prices Apple offered in February were effective in supporting the company as it suffered a rapid slowdown in sales in the Chinese market. In March, shipments were up by 12 percent according to Reuters figures.