Apple’s decision to compress the thickness of the iPhone Air meant that it shares a few compromises, but that has not prevented its popularity from skyrocketing in China, because the latest report says that the sleek flagship has sold out across all online stores in the region. In fact, the stock ran out just hours after pre-orders of the device officially kicked off in the country, indicating that smartphones with slim form factors still have a place in this world, but only if they come from Apple.
Early traction of the iPhone Air could slowly trickle down as companies like Huawei are preparing the Mate 80 series, not to mention other iPhone 17 models also available
As reported by the South China Morning Post, the iPhone Air sold out near-instantly after its launch in China on Friday. Apple achieved this impressive feat shortly after the company’s CEO, Tim Cook, visited the country this week to promote the product in the world’s largest smartphone market while tackling ongoing geopolitical tensions between China and the U.S.
For those wondering, pre-sales for the iPhone Air sporting eSIM technology could not start until this specific version received regulatory approval to launch in China. After the green signal was lit more than a month after this model was released in other parts of the world, customers were lined up in droves at all brick-and-mortar stores in Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin, according to Apple’s website, to grab the iPhone Air.
At the time of writing, online shipments have been delayed by one to two weeks, which Apple aims to expedite as it attempts to chip away at the market share of local players such as Xiaomi and Huawei. Even though it is a phenomenal start for the iPhone Air, the popularity surge of this smartphone is no different than any other release that has happened in China. What will be interesting to see is if this demand remains consistent for a couple of months or slowly tapers off as Huawei prepares its Mate 80 launch next month.
Apple has other iPhone 17 models that are already available in China, with these handsets appearing to have some solid momentum behind them. For instance, the base model, which sports a ProMotion display that we have said is a massive deal, was one of the reasons why Apple’s official website in China crashed thanks to an overwhelming amount of traffic from buyers rushing to secure a unit for themselves.
Additionally, during the iPhone 17 pre-orders in China, one online retailer recorded a whopping 5 million reservations, with JD.com, the region’s largest online retailer, securing 3.7 million reservations. In short, where Apple had to introduce substantial discounts to its iPhone 16 series earlier this year to gain some sales traction, the iPhone 17 lineup and the iPhone Air are selling themselves.
On the other spectrum, Samsung has reportedly canceled the Galaxy S26 Edge due to lackluster Galaxy S25 Edge sales, pretty much confirming that the brand’s image will always be second to Apple. If you believe there is another reason why the iPhone Air has been successful so far, let us know in the comments and participate in the poll below.
Why is the iPhone Air selling out in China, while the Galaxy S25 Edge struggles to gain any momentum?
News Source: South China Morning Post
Follow Wccftech on Google or add us as a preferred source, to get our news coverage and reviews in your feeds.