Tmall, a Chinese online retail platform, recently announced significant price reductions for Apple's (AAPL, Financial) products during the 2025 New Year Goods Festival. The iPhone series, including the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max, are seeing direct discounts of up to 1,000 yuan. The promotion includes benefits such as 12-month interest-free installments and trade-in subsidies.
The iPhone 16 Pro/16 Pro Max and iPhone 16/16 Plus will have 60,300 and 30,200 units available, respectively, with discounts starting at 800 yuan. With an additional 200 yuan surprise coupon, the maximum discount reaches 1,000 yuan, reducing the starting price to 4,999 yuan. Similarly, JD.com has launched its own promotional event, offering a 1,000 yuan discount with an extra 500 yuan for trade-ins, alongside nationwide consumer vouchers from Hangzhou and Shaanxi.
Despite these efforts, Apple is facing challenges in the Chinese market. Its Q4 2024 financial report indicated a revenue decline in Greater China, the only region with such a decrease. According to Counterpoint, during China's "Double 11" shopping festival, iPhone sales dropped by double digits, while competitor Huawei achieved a 7% increase with its Pura 70 and Mate 60 series.
Apple Intelligence features have rolled out in some regions but lack a clear timeline for China. IDC's Nabila Popal noted that while Apple's 2024 smartphones had many highlights, the lack of complete language support for Apple Intelligence is limiting growth.
