Apple’s new iPhone series sparks lively debate among Chinese fans amid eSIM limits, AI delay
On Wednesday morning, three of the top 10 trending topics on microblogging site Weibo were iPhone-related, two of which focused on pricing
Regardless, the latest iPhones grabbed the attention of Chinese consumers. On Wednesday morning, three of the top 10 trending topics on microblogging site Weibo were iPhone-related, two of which focused on pricing. One topic was on the 17,999 yuan (US$2,525) price tag for the iPhone 17 Pro Max with 2 terabytes of storage, equal to three iPhone 17s with a storage of 256 gigabytes.
Other discussions focused on the iPhone Air, the slimmest-ever iPhone with a thickness of 5.6mm. He Shijie, a tech vlogger who interviewed Apple chief executive Tim Cook in 2021, was given hands-on access to the new gadget at the launch event at Apple’s Cupertino headquarters. He said it felt “rather impressive in hand”, like an enlarged iPod Touch.
“The only questions are whether you can tolerate its battery life and accept having just one camera,” he added.
Meanwhile, iPhone Air models purchased outside mainland China will be unable to install an eSIM profile from mainland carriers, discouraging consumers from buying a handset overseas for the greater software availability, including Apple Intelligence.