The iPhone 5 has been on the grey market in mainland China for more than two months now so most diehard Apple fans who want one, should already have one.
Still, the smartphone will fetch one of the highest handset prices in Asia. The first shipment of iPhone 5s is expected to reach the mainland's seven Apple stores on December 14.
Getting past the layers of bureaucracy as well as China's stringent telecoms regulator have become huge barriers to entry for Apple and mainland companies looking to offer the iPhone.
Other Apple products are also signficantly more expensive in mainland China. The Wi-fi version of the iPad mini is about 400 yuan (US$65) more expensive than it is in the US.
"Looks like money from us Chinese consumers is still better for companies to earn nowadays," wrote one blogger on Sina Weibo, China's main microblogging service.