Apple launched its new smartphones, the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus on Thursday. China is among the first batch of countries where the new smartphones will be put on sale. But will the iPhone 7 still sell like hotcakes on the China market?
As of 3 PM on Friday, Chinese consumers can pre-order the iPhone7 on Apple China’s official website. Both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus smartphones come in three memory versions: 32 GB, 128GB and 256GB.
The new smartphones are priced differently in mainland China and Hong Kong. There are three versions of the iPhone 7, each with differing amounts of internal memory. In mainland China these are priced at RMB 5,388 (USD 806), RMB 6,188, and RMB 6,988, respectively. The corresponding prices in Hong Kong are equivalent to RMB 4,798, RMB 5,485 and RMB 6,172.
The prices of the iPhone 7 Plus in the mainland are RMB 6,388, RMB 7,188 and RMB 7,988; the prices in Hong Kong are equivalent to RMB 5,658, RMB 6,344 and RMB 7,117.
There are some new features that consumers will appreciate, including the dual-lens camera on the iPhone 7 Plus, waterproof and dustproof performance, and an apparently longer battery life. The new color called “jet black” stands out too, though it is only for the 128GB and 256GB versions.
However, market research firm IDC forecasts that the iPhone 7 is unlikely to be a huge hit in China.
According to a report by IDC on Friday, the removal of the headphone jack means users will not be able to listen to music while charging their iPhones. Additionally, the wireless earphones Airpods are too expensive for many ordinary consumers. Despite the new color, there are not many changes in the smartphone design, and wireless charging is still not available.
According to IDC report in August, Apple ranked fifth in China in smartphone sales, with 8.6 million smartphones shipped in China in Q2 2016, a 31.7% YoY decline.
(Top photo from Apple.com)
