Apple counterattacks Huawei with big iPhone discounts in China

A new “smartphone discount” war has started between Huawei and Apple in the Chinese market. The U.S. tech giant is now offering big discounts on the latest Apple iPhone series in China to withstand growing competition from Huawei.

Huawei recently offered amazing discounts on flagship smartphones like the Pura 70 series. The Chinese OEM began the campaign last weekend, wrapping up 2024.

Now Apple is making the same ‘discounts’ move for its new iPhone series in China to counterattack Huawei. The company started a four-day promotion event offering massive discounts on the newly launched iPhone models for Chinese consumers.

Apple Discount Campaign

The 4-day event will run live from January 4 to 7, 2025. Consumers looking for a new iPhone handset can dive into this event and get the iPhone 16 Pro Max at the best deal. As per Apple’s Chinese website, the discount is up to 800 yuan.

iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will get a price drop of 400 yuan whereas, the Pro variants will receive a discount of 500 yuan. Some older models are getting a price cut of 200 to 300 yuan. Other products like iPads and MacBooks are also present in this “rare discount campaign”. One can pick designated payment methods to grab discounts.

Standard Apple iPhone 16 (Image Credits: Apple)

Apple vs Huawei: Sales

Apple was hit by a double-digit drop in the Chinese Double 11 Sale 2024. A major reason was Huawei’s new tri-fold and the excitement for Mate 70 that shadowed the presence of the iPhone 16 series in the Chinese market.

On the other hand, Chinese customers are supporting Huawei for its AI-packed and innovative products. This is a plus point for the Chinese OEM over Apple’s AI-less iPhones.

Some analysts noted that Apple is constantly facing pressure in its second-largest market due to Chinese rivals like Huawei. Even though the company is at the top in the global sector, it is in a tough spot in China following Huawei’s comeback.

The current discount strategy reflects that Apple is trying to defend its shares in the Chinese market. Huawei has given massive discounts of up to 3000 yuan on some devices a week ago. It would be worth seeing if Apple’s discount campaign gets the same level of excitement from consumers or remains stagnant.

Huawei Mate 70 Pro+ (Image Credits: Huawei)