Chinese media says that the iPhone Air sold out almost immediately after preorders began in the country, perhaps making the model more popular there than in the US.
The iPhone Air launched in the States in September 2025, but Apple had to postpone releasing it in China following regulatory problems. It's believed that the issue concerned how the iPhone Air is eSIM-only, while most Chinese phones still require a physical SIM.
Apple announced that the issues were resolved and that it would start preorders in China on Friday, October 17. Tim Cook visited the country to promote the iPhone Air on social media, and to meet with government officials.
Now according to the South China Morning Post, the iPhone Air sold out within minutes of the preorders starting. It appears that the publication is basing this specifically on the shipping times for the model on the online Apple Store.
At time of writing, every color and every configuration of the iPhone Air in China is showing as being backordered. Where they were initially advertised as shipping by October 22, 2025, every option is now listed as being "1-2 weeks."
In comparison, the iPhone Air appeared to get a more muted response in the US. Apple never releases any production figures, so it's not possible to know how many units of the iPhone Air it has made for any market.
Nonetheless, at the same stage in the US preorders, the iPhone Air continued to be available for the earliest shipping date. Also at this stage, the iPhone 17 Pro Max was proving to be the one in very high demand.
It's not known yet how the iPhone Air has fared in China's many high-profile third-party resellers. For the iPhone 17 Pro Max preorder period, China's JD.com reported that it broke last year's first-day sales record in its opening minute.
