iPhone 14 Series Opens for Sale, Scalper Prices Soar in China

There is typically a rush to buy iPhones whenever a new series goes on sale, and this year is no exception. The iPhone 14 series, which was originally scheduled to open for sale on September 16, had already emerged on dealer and scalper channels in China on September 15, for prices higher by two or even three thousand yuan. Many scalpers were trying to buy the new devices from consumers at a high price on September 16.

The iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, which become available today, start at 5,999 yuan, 7,999 yuan and 8,999 yuan, respectively, while the iPhone 14 Plus, which will be sold on October 7, starts at 6,999 yuan. However, current buyers of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max on Apple’s official website need to wait until the end of October or the beginning of November to receive the new model. Turning to overcharging scalpers is an option for those who can’t wait to take a look at the new phone.

Jiemian News reported that, judging from many Chinese smartphone dealers, scalpers and other channels, the price increases for the three iPhones now in stock range from 200 to 4,000 yuan, while models with different colors and memory have different price increases according to demand. Among them, the purple iPhone 14 Pro Max is the most popular one. The price of the 1TB memory model of iPhone 14 Pro Max (Purple) has increased from 13,499 yuan to more than 17,000 yuan.

The prices charged by scalpers are also dynamic. Take the most popular purple iPhone 14 Pro Max as an example. At 8:00 today, Chinese scalpers were willing to pay an extra 1,500 yuan to 2,000 yuan, but after 15 minutes, they were only able to add 1,000 yuan.

For consumers who don’t want to pay extra money, online shopping is still a good choice. According to Apple ‘s official website, estimated delivery times for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max with different configurations range from five weeks to six weeks. Apple’s official platform on Taobao shows that the delivery time of the iPhone 14 Pro is 50 days, while the delivery time of the iPhone 14 Pro Max is 60 days.

In addition, Apple’s authorized franchise stores are also available for Meituan‘s UAV distribution today. This year, Meituan‘s first iPhone 14 instant retail order was delivered by UAV, which took 5 minutes and 56 seconds.

On the whole, the iPhone 14 series is popular, but there is serious polarization among different models. According to the booking data of JD.com, the iPhone 14 Pro is obviously more popular, while the iPhone 14 Plus, which was favored before its release, was weak.

Ming-Chi Kuoan, an analyst at TF International Securities, said on September 12 that the pre-order results of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus were poor, indicating that Apple’s positioning of these two models may have failed. Compared with the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, the pre-order results of iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are neutral and good.

Kuoan also predicted that if the demand does not change after the release, Apple may reduce shipments of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus in November and beyond within a few weeks. The pre-sale results of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max do not mean that Apple will immediately increase orders for Pro models. The firm will make a decision based on how long strong demand for Pro models can last during the economic recession. According to the current pre-sale results, the strong demand for Pro models will last at least until November.

This year, with the return of the Huawei Mate 50 series, Apple and Huawei have entered a new phase of competition. Guo Tianxiang, an analyst at IDC, once told National Business Daily, “Huawei Mate 50 series’ booking is high, showing Huawei’s status in the high-end market. However, the Mate 50 series is expected to struggle to reach the sales level of previous generations of Mate series. It will take more time for Huawei to rival Apple.”