After weeks of delay, Apple has confirmed that preorders for its new iPhone Air will begin in China on October 17, marking the device’s official entry into the Chinese market, Bloomberg is reporting.
One of the key obstacles that had held back the launch was China’s regulatory requirement for telecom carriers to support eSIM technology. Apple’s iPhone Air is built as an eSIM-only model, with no physical SIM card slot. That design posed a hurdle in China, where eSIM adoption by local carriers has been limited.
However, regulatory approval has now come through. China’s three major carriers i.e. China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom, have been authorized to launch trial eSIM services. With that clearance in place, Apple has been able to schedule the preorder and sales rollout.
In a Weibo post made during his visit to Shanghai, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the preorder date and expressed his excitement about bringing the iPhone Air to the Chinese market. The pricing starts at 7,999 yuan, roughly US$1,122.
The path to this launch has not been smooth. Apple originally planned to offer iPhone Air preorders in step with its other new iPhone models globally, but the Chinese version was postponed due to unresolved eSIM regulatory issues. Apple even removed the release date from its site in China, indicating that updates would follow later.
Now that these issues are resolved, the question is whether Chinese consumers will embrace the iPhone Air despite its lack of a physical SIM slot.
Analysts believe that strong preorders in China for the iPhone 17 series earlier this month point to sustained demand for Apple’s premium models. If the iPhone Air achieves strong sales, it could help Apple maintain momentum in China even as it faces mounting pressure from Huawei, Xiaomi, and other local players.
The iPhone Air will hit Apple Stores in China and begin deliveries on October 22.
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