Apple slashes iPhone prices in China amid fierce competition from Huawei

Apple Slashes iPhone Prices in China Amid Fierce Competition from Huawei

In a bid to defend its place in the high-end smartphone market against fierce competition from local rival Huawei, Apple has launched an aggressive discounting campaign on its official Tmall site in China. The tech giant is offering discounts of up to 2,300 yuan ($318) on select iPhone models.

The discounting campaign, which runs from May 20 to May 28, is more substantial than the one Apple offered in February. During that campaign, the highest discount was 1,150 yuan, but this time discounts go up to 2,300 yuan. The steepest discount applies to the 1TB iPhone 15 Pro Max model, with other models also seeing significant price cuts.

For instance, the 128 GB version of the base iPhone 15 model has a discount of 1,400 yuan, according to Reuters’ checks on Monday. This increased competitive pressure on Apple comes after Huawei introduced its new series of high-end smartphones last month.

Apple’s previous discounting effort in February seems to have paid off, as the company experienced a 12% increase in shipments in China in March, according to data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT). This improvement comes after a 37% slump in sales in the first two months of 2024.

The U.S. tech giant is clearly taking steps to maintain its position in the market, and these discounts are just one example of its efforts to stay ahead in the face of growing competition.