Apple’s latest iPhone 17 series has seen record-breaking demand in China, according to sales data from major platforms and customer accounts, even as the launch of the super thin iPhone Air has been pushed back due to eSIM concerns.
E-commerce giant JD.com said that within the first minute of pre-orders opening at 8pm on Friday, sales of the iPhone 17 series exceeded the entire first-day pre-orders of last year’s iPhone 16, reports the South China Morning Post. The 256GB version of the standard iPhone 17 was the most popular choice among buyers, the company noted.
The surge in demand left Apple’s website struggling to keep up. Chinese outlet The Paper reported that some customers could not immediately access the pre-order page. One buyer who managed to place an order said it took several minutes for payment to process, and slots to pick up the iPhone 17 Pro Max at Apple’s Shanghai stores were fully booked within 20 minutes.
By Saturday morning, Apple’s website showed that in Guangzhou, delivery wait times for any iPhone 17 model had stretched to mid-October.
In Canada, the iPhone 17 starts at $1,129 and as of writing, all colours of the entry 256GB version have been pushed back to delivery dates of October 8-15.
The iPhone 17 offers an upgrade over the iPhone 16 with a slightly larger 6.3-inch display with 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate for smoother scrolling (which is a first) and always-on display (again a first) and enhanced Ceramic Shield 2 glass. It also gets improved battery life, an A19 chip, plus a doubled base storage of 256GB at the same starting price. Camera upgrades include a 48MP ultrawide rear lens and a 24MP front-facing sensor for better selfies and video calls.
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