China's annual spring iPhone sales are here, and the discount isn't as steep as it's been

iPhone 15 Pro Max

In what has become an annual tradition, two of China's biggest iPhone resellers are offering discounts on Apple's higher-end iPhone models.

The iPhone 15 series has not been as successful in China as its predecessors, although Tim Cook has blamed overall economic issues rather than any lack of interest in the devices. Now Bloomberg claims that weak demand is making two of the country's biggest resellers slash prices to discount the iPhone 15 Pro Max by $180.

The Bloomberg story lacks context, though. China sellers historically discounts iPhones in the spring.

The stores in question cited in Thursday's report are JD.com and the Alibaba Group Holding Limited's Tmall. But rather than a slashing of prices because of unpopularity, it's typical for Chinese stores to discount at this time — and there have been steeper ones before.

For China's famous "618" shopping festival in May 2023, Apple itself discounted the iPhone 14 Pro by $210. In 2023, resellers were selling the iPhone 14 range with discounts varying from $103 to $118.

Separately, it's been reported that Apple's sales declined 9% in Q4 2023 year over year in China. However, with the general decline in smartphone sales in the region, Apple still managed to be the number one reseller for that quarter.