Apple iPhone 11 Shocker: China Preorders Up 480%

Retailers and analysts reveal that Apple is off to a great start in China, and is expected to sell more iPhones than expected in the Chinese market.

Chinese commerce giant JD.com revealed that more than 1 million iPhone 11 units have been reserved since the preorders went live on its platform days ago, iPhoneHacks reported. This represents a 480% growth compared to previous years when there were fewer preorders being made.

MyDrivers, a Chinese tech site, reported (translated via Google Translate) that as of Sept. 13, the number of iPhone 11 reservations reached 575,049; the number of iPhone 11 Pro reservations reached 578,701; and the number of IPhone 11 Pro Max reservations reached at least 176,108.

Considering that these numbers represent reservations made days ago, it’s not difficult to expect that they have soared way higher now.

Preorders for Apple’s new iPhones were made from almost 341 cities across China within an hour of the preorder going live. JD.com revealed that almost 59% of preorders were made by customers between the age of 16 and 29. They ordered either an iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro.

Sales figures indicate that earlier predictions about Apple not doing so well in China due to the U.S.-China trade war were wrong. If anything, the sales numbers indicate that Apple is doing well in the Chinese market - regardless of how the new iPhones are priced.

Pricing for the iPhone 11, for example, starts at 5,499 yuan ($775) for the 64GB configuration. This is followed by 5,999 yuan ($846) for the 128GB and 6,799 yuan ($958) for the 512GB configurations.

The iPhone 11 Pro, on the other hand, has a more expensive price tag: the 64GB version is priced at 8,699 yuan ($1,226); the 256GB version is priced at 9,999 yuan ($1,410); and the 512GB version is priced at 11,799 yuan ($1,664).

The iPhone 11 Pro Max is the most expensive of the three. The 64GB version is priced at 9,599 yuan ($1,353); the 256GB version is priced at 10,899 yuan ($1,537); and the 512GB version is priced at 12,699 yuan ($1,791).

The retailer disclosed that Midnight Green was the most popular color for the iPhone 11 Pro. Black and Purple were the most popular colors for the iPhone 11.

TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects Apple to sell 70 to 75 million iPhone units this year, up from his earlier estimation of 65 to 70 million.