Apple’s iPhone 17 launch draws hundreds in long queue at its Beijing store

BEIJING: Hundreds of people lined up at Apple’s flagship store in Beijing on the launch day of the iPhone 17 on Friday in a sign that sales of the series are off to a promising start in the world’s second largest economy.

Among the roughly 300 people that arrived in the morning at Apple’s store in downtown Sanlitun to pick up phones ordered online was Shuke Wang, 35, who said he purchased the Pro Max model, priced from 9,999 yuan ($1,406) in China and pegged by analysts to be the best selling model in the 17 series.

“I really like the 17 series’ redesign, and I think the orange-coloured one looks good, but too flashy. The Air Model looks good too, but the Pro Max gives longer battery life,” he said.

Apple says the base model iPhone 17 has a brighter, more scratch-resistant screen, and will also have a better front-facing camera that will make horizontal selfies look better.

Analysts say the iPhone 17 series could give a crucial end-of-year boost to Apple’s market share and shipments in China, which have been pressured this year by intensifying competition from Xiaomi and Huawei amid weak consumer demand.

Apple does not disclose pre-order figures.

In the first eight weeks of the third quarter, Apple’s shipments decreased 6%, according to data from Counterpoint Research released earlier this week.

Chiew Le Xuan, a senior analyst at research company Omdia, said they expected iPhone shipments in China to rise 11% year over year in the second half, driven by the new series, contributing to 5% full-year growth for Apple in 2025.

“The iPhone 17 Pro Max is expected to outperform the 16 Pro Max, driven by a major redesign - a factor that has historically spurred replacement demand in China,” said Chiew. “It is likely to become Apple’s top-performing model in the Chinese market in 2026.”

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The iPhone Air will be the only model in China to have telecom operators’ support for an e-SIM - a digital SIM embedded in the device. However, Apple has not opened pre-sales for the Air in China and says the availability of eSIM services from China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom is subject to regulatory approval.

“The iPhone Air may serve as a testbed for thin-and-light technology that could later be applied to a foldable iPhone,“ said Will Wong, a senior smartphone analyst at IDC.

Wong said the Air won’t deliver a major sales boost, as Apple traded off battery life and camera and audio quality, which Chinese consumers value, to achieve the slimmer design features.