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3h ago

Apple's iPhone 17 Line Launches in China as Air Waits for eSIM Approval

Early JD sign-offs topped 30,000, signaling robust supply that quickly cooled scalper pricing.

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Overview

  • The iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max went on sale in China on September 19 with active in‑store pickup and long lines reported at flagship stores.
  • JD reported more than 30,000 customers had signed for deliveries by noon after pre-stocking warehouses and coordinating with thousands of authorized outlets.
  • Resale activity surged at launch but normalized quickly, with some orange Pro Max units briefly commanding up to ¥1,500 over list as many scalpers avoided Pro or base models.
  • The iPhone Air remains delayed in China pending eSIM approvals, with China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom set to support the device once regulators give the go‑ahead.
  • Apple pushed an initial iOS 26 update (build 23A345) to Pro models, and duty‑free pricing plus e‑commerce subsidies lowered effective costs for some buyers to about ¥4,999.