Apple has reduced prices of the iPhone 17 Pro series in China by 1,000 yuan (about $138) ahead of the annual 618 shopping festival, one of the country’s largest mid-year online retail events.
The discounts went live on Friday on JD.com and Tmall, with Apple’s official store on the latter platform applying a direct 1,000 yuan discount on the iPhone 17 Pro series. On JD.com, taking into account the platform’s trade-in offers and promotions, some iPhone 17 Pro models can be purchased for as low as 6,999 yuan (approximately $968). This is the lowest price since the device’s launch, according to the World Time.
The standard iPhone 17 also received its first notable markdown. Select configurations are now available for 4,499 yuan (about $622), including discounts, putting it well below the 6,000 yuan threshold of China’s National Recovery Subsidy, which slashes eligible devices by 15% up to a cap of 500 yuan — something Pro model customers miss out on.
News of Apple’s price cuts quickly shot to the top of social media platform Weibo’s trending list on Friday. Meanwhile, Huawei also introduced lower prices for its premium foldable models for the first time.
“Apple and Huawei are the two companies most closely compared in the high-end segment,” said technology industry analyst Liu Dingding, speaking to the World Time. “Other brands still hold market share, but in terms of influence in the premium market, the rivalry is increasingly focused on these two players.”
Liu said the two companies were taking advantage of this year’s shopping festival period to quickly increase orders and shipments while competing for a larger share of replacement demand.
Apple’s iPhone 17 series has been wildly successful in China so far. Apple reported $26 billion in revenue in China during its fiscal first quarter, a 38% year-over-year increase and the company’s best-ever performance in the region. China now accounts for about a fifth of Apple’s total global sales.
The results represent a major turnaround after nearly three years of declining sales in the country, where Apple has faced stiff competition from domestic rivals like Huawei, Xiaomi and Vivo.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is currently on his way back from China, after participating in an official U.S. trade delegation accompanying President Donald Trump during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.