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Apple is offering consumers in mainland China fresh price cuts on iPhones and other products via its local website, as the US tech giant seeks to boost sales amid stiff competition with Huawei Technologies and other domestic rivals in the world’s largest smartphone market.
Cupertino, California-based Apple on Thursday announced a promotion running from January 4 to 7 that will provide a 500-yuan (US$68) discount on its latest premium models, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
A 400-yuan deduction will be offered for the basic iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models. Older handsets, including the iPhone 15 and iPhone 14 series, will see up to a 300-yuan markdown.
Steeper discounts of up to 800 yuan will be available for the MacBook Air. Modest price cuts will also be applied to iPads, Apple Watches, AirPods and Apple Pencils, according to the company’s website.
While the price cuts will also be offered at the firm’s bricks-and-mortar Apple Stores, the items on promotion will be limited in quantity, with only 29,300 iPhones available on discount.

The latest iPhone discounts reflect intensifying competition on the mainland, and come a few days after Huawei slashed prices on a range of high-end models including the Pura 70 Ultra and the Mate X5 foldable smartphone.
Apple’s four-day sales promotion drew mixed reaction on Chinese social media, where it quickly became the top-trending topic on Thursday on popular microblogging site Weibo.
While some Weibo users said the promotion offers a good opportunity to buy the latest iPhone 16 models, others complained that Apple’s discounts are not competitive enough when compared to the price cuts available on e-commerce platforms and those offered by Chinese rivals.
Apple’s iPhone 16 models were marked down by up to 1,600 yuan on Alibaba Group Holding’s Tmall platform during last quarter’s Singles’ Day shopping festival. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
Other online shopping platforms, including PDD Holdings -owned Pinduoduo, cut prices on the iPhone 16 series ahead of its domestic release on September 20.

Strong iPhone 16 sales in China helped Apple take the No 2 spot in the domestic smartphone market in the third quarter, after the company fell out of the top-five ranking in the previous three months, according to data from research firm IDC.
Vivo remained the domestic smartphone market leader in the third quarter, while Huawei took the No 3 spot on the back of a 42-per cent surge in handset shipments during the period.
Apple, meanwhile, faces hurdles rolling out artificial intelligence (AI) features in its products on the mainland. The company was in early-stage discussions with Tencent Holdings and ByteDance in a bid to introduce its Apple Intelligence system in China, where it is required to partner with a local AI model provider, according to a Reuters report in December.
Earlier last month, Apple was said to be working with internet search giant Baidu on a local AI partnership. But disputes over access to user data and inaccurate responses to user queries contributed to slow progress, according to a report by US tech news outlet The Information.


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Apple

Apple offers fresh price cuts on iPhones in China as Huawei competition heats up

Apple’s latest sales promotion in China, covering iPhones and other products, will also be available at its bricks-and-mortar stores on the mainland. Photo: Shutterstock

Apple’s premium iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models will be offered at a 500-yuan discount in a promotion that runs from January 4 to 7. Photo: Shutterstock

A pedestrian walks by an advertisement promoting Tmall’s Singles’ Day shopping promotion on October 17, 2024 in Shanghai. Photo: VCG via Getty Images

Huawei slashes prices in fight for China’s high-end smartphone market share

Customers look at Huawei’s Pura 70 series smartphones at a flagship store in Beijing. Photo: Reuters

The trifold Mate XT is Huawei’s latest foldable smartphone. Photo: Reuters

Tencent teams with smartphone maker Honor on AI while Apple searches for a partner

An Honor retail store seen in Shanghai on July 31, 2022. Photo: Shutterstock

Apple in talks with Tencent, ByteDance to bring AI to iPhones in China, report says

Apple has faced challenges in launching Apple Intelligence on its iPhones in mainland China owing to the country’s strict regulation of the technology. Photo: AP

Apple CEO Tim Cook attends the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on November 25. Photo: Weibo/ 玉渊谭天

Huawei premium smartphone shipments surge, as Apple continues to lead segment in China

Apple and Huawei are the two-biggest vendors in China’s high-end smartphone segment. Photo: Shutterstock

An independent retailer in the southern tech hub of Shenzhen displays smartphones and accessories from Huawei Technologies and Apple. Photo: Shutterstock

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A promotion running from January 4 to 7 will provide Chinese consumers a US$68 discount on Apple’s top-of-the-line iPhone 16 Pro models


A promotion running from January 4 to 7 will provide Chinese consumers a US$68 discount on Apple’s top-of-the-line iPhone 16 Pro models.


Apple offers fresh price cuts on iPhones in China as Huawei competition heats up

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A promotion running from January 4 to 7 will provide Chinese consumers a US$68 discount on Apple’s top-of-the-line iPhone 16 Pro models

A promotion running from January 4 to 7 will provide Chinese consumers a US$68 discount on Apple’s top-of-the-line iPhone 16 Pro models