Chinese retailers give up on the iPhone 15 and offer discounts north of 15%

Never trust a merchant when he swears, as the poet says. So far, Apple is not uttering any profanities after numerous reports painted a darker-than-expected picture for the iPhone 15 sales in China.

Now, Reuters has it that Chinese retailers offer the iPhone with deep discounts, which could indicate that things are indeed not very bright.

One particular vendor is selling the iPhone 15 (512 GB) for 7,498 yuan: 1,501 yuan lower than Apple's official price of 8,999 yuan. Keep in mind that 1,501 yuan equates roughly to $205. Asked about the discount, the company said it was in line with a strategy it launched this year of offering low prices.

A discount of 1,501 yuan from the official 8,999 yuan price translates to a (almost) 17% difference.

Moreover, that’s the second time (in a row) we have observed unusually high discounts on iPhones in China.

The iPhone 14 Pro and the 14 Pro Max were discounted by 700-800 yuan, which roughly translates to around $100, or 7% to 9% of the original price.

The maxed-out iPhone 15 Pro Max (again 512 GB) is getting a slightly more modest discount at 11% – going from an 11,999 yuan price tag in Apple's store to 10,698 yuan on Alibaba's e-commerce platform Taobao.

In China, Apple occasionally allows partner vendors to offer discounts in order to spur demand. But Chinese e-commerce platforms have also been locked in a "value for money" battle as consumers tighten their belts in a slowing economy, with discounting a key focus of an upcoming annual Singles Day shopping festival, says the report.

Counterpoint Research estimated that things are going south for Apple, as the iPhone 15 lineup is believed to be behind the iPhone 14 series after 17 days of measured availability.