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, it has been reported that Chinese retailers are offering deep
discounts on the iPhone 15, indicating that things may not be very bright.

One particular vendor is selling the iPhone 15 (512 GB) for 7,498 yuan,
which is 1,501 yuan lower than Apple’s official price of 8,999 yuan.
This discount of 1,501 yuan translates to a nearly 17% difference.

Additionally, this is not the first time 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, approximately $100 or 7% to 9% of the
original price.

The maxed-out iPhone 15 Pro Max (512 GB) is receiving a slightly more modest
discount of 11%. Its price has come down from 11,999 yuan to 10,698 yuan on
Alibaba’s e-commerce platform Taobao.

In China, Apple occasionally allows partner vendors to offer discounts in
order to stimulate demand. However, Chinese e-commerce platforms have also
been engaged in a “value for money” battle as consumers tighten their belts
in a slowing economy. Discounting has become a key focus of the upcoming
annual Singles Day shopping festival.

Counterpoint Research estimates that the iPhone 15 lineup is falling behind
the iPhone 14 series in terms of sales after 17 days of availability.