Online retailers cut Apple iPhone 11 prices in the world's largest smartphone market

Thanks to its lower price, the Apple iPhone 11 is the most popular of the 2019 iPhone models. With a starting price of $699, you are giving up some of the improvements to the battery life seen with the "Pro" models. Still, Apple says that the 3046mAh battery on the iPhone 11 will provide up to one hour of additional battery life compared to its predecessor, the iPhone XR. Until the 2019 models launched, the iPhone XR's 2942mAh battery gave it the best battery life ever experienced on an iPhone. That honor now belongs to the iPhone 11 Pro Max. The iPhone 11 also carries both a 12MP Wide and a 12MP Ultra-wide camera on the back.

The philosophy that you're giving up a little to save a lot of money was tested on the iPhone XR. Those who purchased that model saved some bucks by not purchasing the iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max. But as we told you the other day, some consumers are taking Apple to court for not prominently disclosing that it used a 2 X 2 MIMO antenna system for the low-end model. Thus, iPhone XR users say that they suffered through poor connectivity and had slower 4G LTE speeds compared to the more expensive models which were equipped with a 4 X 4 MIMO setup. And the same differences are found between the iPhone 11 (2 X 2 MIMO) and the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max (4 X 4 MIMO).

China is the largest smartphone market in the world and today Reuters reports that a few online retailers in the country have whittled down the price of the iPhone 11. Some retailers in the region have also cut the price of the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. Since the manufacturer won't have its 5G models available until the fall at the earliest (some analysts see a launch pushed back until early 2021), Apple could see iPhone sales drop off in China as domestic phone manufacturers including Huawei are already selling 5G enabled handsets in the country. Toss in weak demand as a result of the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak on consumers and you have quite a stew that tastes like a sharp drop in demand. And this mess will be served up worldwide. Consider that the unemployment rate in the U.S. is now 10% and rising.

To counteract this in China, online retailer Suning has cut the price of the 64GB iPhone 11; the discount amounts to 500 yuan ($71 USD) or 9% compared to Apple's official price on its Chinese website. With the price break, the 64GB iPhone 11 is available from Suning for 4999 yuan ($707.54 USD). The same online retailer has cut the price of the 64GB iPhone 11 Pro Max by a price of 1600 yuan ($227.40 USD). The phone can be purchased for 7499 ($1,061.38 USD), a 17.6% price break.

Back in February when Apple shut the 42 Apple Stores it owns in China, government data revealed that the company shipped fewer than 500,000 iPhones in the country that month. Since then, Apple has reopened all of its brick and mortar locations in China and its assembly partners like Foxconn and Wistron have started ramping up their assembly lines. Mo Jia, who works for research firm Canalys tracking the global smartphone market, says that while some smartphone brands in China have seen a recovery in handset sales since the outbreak has slowed, Apple is not among them.

We should learn more about how the coronavirus has affected Apple's businesses on April 30th when it is expected to report its fiscal second-quarter earnings figures. This will cover the three months from January through March.