Apple Responds to Slowing China Sales With Lunar New Year Discounts

[MacRumors]

Apple is offering discounts of up to 1,000 yuan ($144) on some products in China in anticipation of a holiday shopping rush and competitive pricing from local vendors, reports the South China Morning Post.

Ahead of February's Lunar New Year, Apple's mainland China website and official stores are offering limited-time discounts on products including the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, as well as some MacBook, iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods models. The discounts come into effect between January 24 and January 27.

Apple led the Chinese smartphone market in the fourth quarter of 2025 with a 22 percent share, thanks to strong iPhone 17 sales. Despite the demand, sales are said to have been falling month on month, and the promotions are aimed at countering the decline.

China's smartphone market shrank 1.6 percent year on year in Q4 2025, while full-year shipments declined 0.6 percent. Counterpoint analysts have put the decline down to weak demand amid rising prices and global memory shortages.

Chinese government policies appear to have played a role too. Under government subsidies, consumers of electronics get a 15% refund of products that are priced under 6,000 yuan ($820). Apple partly missed out on the program, since its iPhone Pro models exceed the price cutoff, giving its local rivals an edge.

Article Link: Apple Responds to Slowing China Sales With Lunar New Year Discounts

 

[I7guy]

So. Strong falling demand?

 

[klasma]

Less than $700 for an iPhone Pro isn’t bad.

 

[CopiumWafu]

I am not surprised. All the Chinese brands are no longer looking towards Apple to make design decisions. They take changes, leaps and get better and better at it.
iPhone's has become extremely generic. The only actual difference between my current iPhone and my last one is a better camera and fewer scratches.

 

[AlexESP]

“sales are said to have been falling month on month, and the promotions are aimed at countering the decline”

I wouldn’t call this “slowing sales” but “a year like any other”.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Less than $700 for an iPhone Pro isn’t bad.

I read iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. Where did you read the iPhone Pro got a discount?

 

[I7guy]

I am not surprised. All the Chinese brands are no longer looking towards Apple to make design decisions. They take changes, leaps and get better and better at it.
iPhone's has become extremely generic.

That’s what I appreciate about the iPhone. Overall it does its thing best, which is why Apple makes more revenue per quarter than some countries. Thanks for highlighting that.

The only actual difference between my current iPhone and my last one is a better camera and fewer scratches.

Did you get the phone exchanged by Apple?

 

[CopiumWafu]

That’s what I appreciate about the iPhone. Overall it does its thing best, which is why Apple makes more revenue per quarter than some countries. Thanks for highlighting that.

Did you get the phone exchanged by Apple?

That perception only made sense when the competition was laughable. Same reason Tesla dominated the electric car market. Look how the table has changed there. Being good at what you do and being reliable at what you do is not the same thing, and Tim Cook only actual innovation is a headset nobody cared about.
The claim that just because Apple makes a lot of money means they are innovative somehow(??) is nonsensical and is borderline whataboutism. It's fine to be happy with your Apple project and frustrated by the fact that Apple isn't even trying. Hopefully Apple's foldable phones will be a success and revitalize their wish to innovate.

And yes, I upgraded from an iPhone to a new iPhone.

 

[I7guy]

That perception only made sense when the competition was laughable. Same reason Tesla dominated the electric car market.

The word is dominates. Tesla makes a profit in every car. BYD loses on every car not sustainable unless the government is helping. That perception is true.

Look how the table has changed there. Being good at what you do and being reliable at what you do is not the same thing, and Tim Cook only actual innovation is a headset nobody cared about.

That’s why Apple makes more revenue per quarter than many countries.

The claim that just because Apple makes a lot of money means they are innovative somehow(??) is nonsensical and is borderline whataboutism.

You’re discussing a company that has great public perception, customers who buy their products and services and yes they are innovative.

It's fine to be happy with your Apple project and frustrated by the fact that Apple isn't even trying. Hopefully Apple's foldable phones will be a success and revitalize their wish to innovate.

And yes, I upgraded from an iPhone to a new iPhone.

It’s rough to dismiss apples success. You may not like the trajectory of the company but many do. You may not believe Apple is not innovative anymore, but people still do. Opinions.

 

[mdriftmeyer]

Which is it Macrumors? Apple regains the top spot among smartphone sales in China and just one page later worries about slowing sales in China.

 

[HouseLannister]

Which is it Macrumors? Apple regains the top spot among smartphone sales in China and just one page later worries about slowing sales in China.

Skip the headlines and read the content:

• Smartphone shipments in China declined 1.6% year over year
• Apple ranked #1 in sales only for the holiday quarter they released a new phone (but sales are still down across the board)
• Apple was still behind Huawei, ranked 1st in sales for the full year
• Apple's OS market share in China is flat or declining (depending on the month) against Android/HarmonyOS. The big 5 phone companies in China--Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, and HONOR--dominate this market.

 

[sw1tcher]

I am not surprised. All the Chinese brands are no longer looking towards Apple to make design decisions. They take changes, leaps and get better and better at it.
iPhone's has become extremely generic. The only actual difference between my current iPhone and my last one is a better camera and fewer scratches.

That’s what I appreciate about the iPhone. Overall it does its thing best, which is why Apple makes more revenue per quarter than some countries. Thanks for highlighting that.

Apple making more revenue per quarter than some countries does not address CopiumWafu's statement that the iPhone has become extremely generic.

Look at Apple's annual revenue and how much iPhone sales contribute to total revenue each year. It's been on the decline for the past decade.

Fiscal 2016: iPhone sales made up 63.4% of total revenue
Fiscal 2017: iPhone sales made up 61.6% of total revenue
Fiscal 2018: iPhone sales made up 62.08% of total revenue
Fiscal 2019: iPhone sales made up 54.73% of total revenue
Fiscal 2020: iPhone sales made up 50.19% of total revenue
Fiscal 2021: iPhone sales made up 52.48% of total revenue
Fiscal 2022: iPhone sales made up 52.11% of total revenue
Fiscal 2023: iPhone sales made up 52.33% of total revenue
Fiscal 2024: iPhone sales made up 51.45% of total revenue
Fiscal 2025: iPhone sales made up 50.36% of total revenue

That's why Apple decided to stop reporting iPhone unit sales starting with fiscal 2019, when iPhone revenue as a percentage of total revenue saw a big drop of 7.35% vs the prior fiscal year.

Apple to Stop Providing Unit Sales Data for iPhone, iPad and Mac Starting With December Quarter

During today's fourth quarter earnings call, Apple CFO Luca Maestri announced that going forward, Apple will not provide unit sales of iPhone, iPad, and Mac during its quarterly earnings reports. This marks a major change to the way that Apple reports data and it will make estimating iPad, Mac...

www.macrumors.com

Apple's fastest growing segment is Services.

 

[klasma]

I read iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. Where did you read the iPhone Pro got a discount?

I understood "Apple partly missed out on the program, since its iPhone Pro models exceed the price cutoff, giving its local rivals an edge" to mean that they were discounting it now in order to not miss out anymore. Otherwise I don't understand the use of past tense here, it should be "Apple partly misses out [...]".

 

[Martin Bland]

I am not surprised. All the Chinese brands are no longer looking towards Apple to make design decisions. They take changes, leaps and get better and better at it.
iPhone's has become extremely generic. The only actual difference between my current iPhone and my last one is a better camera and fewer scratches.

This only makes sense to you because you disregarded the other bit of information in the post that Apple has regained market leadership in China and that the Chinese phone market as a whole has contracted.

The whole Chinese economy is contracting. There is plenty of reporting about it in many industries, from cars to luxury goods (google it).

 

[HouseLannister]

Apple has regained market leadership in China

Again, no they didn't. They had a good quarter and outsold their competitors because they put out a phone in the fall when the big 5 Chinese phone manufacturers did that during the summer for the most part. They were number two for sales overall in 2025, not a market leader. And sales for one quarter or for one year do not make them a leader. They are far behind in actual OS marketshare (number 3 behind Android and HarmonyOS).

 

[Martin Bland]

They are far behind in actual OS marketshare (number 3 behind Android and HarmonyOS).

You lost all credibility with this statement. This is a stale argument from 2010. It’s nostalgic seeing it being resurrected again after so many years of dormancy. Apple has never explicitly sought to lead OS marketshare. Apple has always led profitshare. That’s Apple’s strategy. It always has been.

Also, your statement about Chinese phones is very unfortunate. It implies Chinese flagship phones have a shelf life of two months before being rendered uncompetitive.

 

[HouseLannister]

You lost all credibility with this statement. This is a stale argument from 2010.

There are a great many ways to measure the share Apple has in China. My point was 3 months of sales data is not how you do it. It's a blip.

Apple has never explicitly sought to lead OS marketshare.

Because they never have been a leader. It would be laughable for them to state that this is their goal. But no one looks at the huge market share Android has and says Apple doesn't want a piece of that. As a Services company, Apple most definitely wants to be a leader. But they can only make so many services, so they need new users and they need to take marketshare from Android. It would be stupid not to. And that means they want their OS everywhere. They do not want to be building apps and services for Android. They want Android users to switch to iPhone and get Apple services. Services growth, and therefore OS marketshare, is going to be the most important metric to Apple in 5 years.

Apple has always led profitshare. That’s Apple’s strategy. It always has been.

What? Apple is not a profit-sharing company. They do stock grants for executives. Are we making up new grammar to support our arguments now? What does this nonsense have to do with how many iPhones are in the hands of Chinese people?

It implies Chinese flagship phones have a shelf life of two months before being rendered uncompetitive.

No one is coming to that conclusion but you. My point was a new phone in the summer outsold the iPhone. A new iPhone in the fall outsold a Chinese phone. Neither are obsolete trash yet. People buy the phones most in the quarter they are released. Chinese phones are very competitive (and excel in some camera specs and innovative features) and since Apple has no new iPhone this winter, Huawei is poised to take number one once again for this quarter (and 2026 in general), so Apple is going to try a sale, something they don't need to do in the US. It's a good strategy and I am not trying to dismiss that.

 

[I7guy]

Apple making more revenue per quarter than some countries does not address CopiumWafu's statement that the iPhone has become extremely generic.

I don’t have to address a negative anecdotal generalization. I disagreed with it.

Look at Apple's annual revenue and how much iPhone sales contribute to total revenue each year. It's been on the decline for the past decade.

Fiscal 2016: iPhone sales made up 63.4% of total revenue
Fiscal 2017: iPhone sales made up 61.6% of total revenue
Fiscal 2018: iPhone sales made up 62.08% of total revenue
Fiscal 2019: iPhone sales made up 54.73% of total revenue
Fiscal 2020: iPhone sales made up 50.19% of total revenue
Fiscal 2021: iPhone sales made up 52.48% of total revenue
Fiscal 2022: iPhone sales made up 52.11% of total revenue
Fiscal 2023: iPhone sales made up 52.33% of total revenue
Fiscal 2024: iPhone sales made up 51.45% of total revenue
Fiscal 2025: iPhone sales made up 50.36% of total revenue

Yep. And the above are approximates.

That's why Apple decided to stop reporting iPhone unit sales starting with fiscal 2019, when iPhone revenue as a percentage of total revenue saw a big drop of 7.35% vs the prior fiscal year.

Apple to Stop Providing Unit Sales Data for iPhone, iPad and Mac Starting With December Quarter

During today's fourth quarter earnings call, Apple CFO Luca Maestri announced that going forward, Apple will not provide unit sales of iPhone, iPad, and Mac during its quarterly earnings reports. This marks a major change to the way that Apple reports data and it will make estimating iPad, Mac...

www.macrumors.com

Apple's fastest growing segment is Services.

It’s been that way for a while. But none of this supports an anecdotal generalization of a “generic iPhone”. Thanks for playing. 🧨

 

[svish]

Good to have discounts from official Apple channels/stores/websites. Would have been better if the new 17 series were on discount too.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

I understood "Apple partly missed out on the program, since its iPhone Pro models exceed the price cutoff, giving its local rivals an edge" to mean that they were discounting it now in order to not miss out anymore. Otherwise I don't understand the use of past tense here, it should be "Apple partly misses out [...]".

The article in the linked South China Morning post says it more clearly maybe:

"Promoted as a limited-time Lunar New Year offer, Apple said buyers of iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus from its mainland China website and official stores between January 24 and 27 would receive the discounts, which also applied to some MacBook, iPad, Apple Watch and AirPods models."