China’s demand for 5G iPhone 12 Pro strong as Huawei faces chip supply issues, analyst Kuo Ming-chi says

The iPhone 12’s launch initially drew derision on Chinese social media, but that did not stop millions from signing up to buy it
China is estimated to account for 35 to 45 per cent of the global demand for iPhone 12 Pro, veteran Apple analyst Kuo Ming-chi says

Apple

Iris Deng

Published: 4:59pm, 19 Oct 2020

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Strong demand for the new iPhone 12 Pro in China is helping to boost sales of the new Apple smartphone model to better-than-expected levels, according to a new report by TF Securities International analyst Kuo Ming-chi.

China is estimated to account for 35 to 45 per cent of the global demand for the iPhone 12 Pro, Kuo wrote in the report released on Monday, adding that consumers worldwide snapped up seven to nine million pre-orders of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro combined in the first weekend of sales.

“The iPhone 12 Pro pre-order performance beat our expectation due to the initial preference for high-end models by Apple fans, strong demand in China, and the upcoming peak seasonal demand from the US and Europe markets,” Kuo, who is known for his accurate predictions about Apple’s product development plans.

Kuo attributed China’s strong appetite for the new iPhones to the growing 5G infrastructure in the country, as well as demand transferred from Chinese smartphone giant Huawei Technologies, which is facing chip supply shortages due to US sanctions.

A separate IDC report last week said Apple is expected to grow its market share in the premium smartphone segment in China with the launch of the iPhone 12 series. The tech giant’s 4G phones accounted for 44 per cent of the market in the first half of 2020, slightly behind Huawei’s share of 44.1 per cent, according to IDC data.

Millions of Chinese sign on for iPhone 12 despite no charger

The iPhone 12’s launch drew derision on Chinese social media initially due to Apple’s decision to exclude earphones and charger in the package, as well as its relatively late adoption of 5G support compared to domestic brands such as Huawei and Xiaomi, but that did not stop millions from signing up to buy it.

Since pre-orders for the standard iPhone 12 and the more premium iPhone 12 Pro in China began on Friday night on Apple’s website and the country’s major e-commerce sites, they have mostly sold out on e-commerce site JD.com. On Tmall, owned by the Post’s parent company Alibaba Group Holding, customers are limited to two handsets each and can expect to wait 24 days before their purchases are shipped out.

Sales of the two models reached an estimated 1.7 to 2 million units within the first 24 hours of pre-orders opening, higher than the 500,000 to 800,000 units of the three iPhone 11 models that were sold in the same period after pre-orders opened in September last year.

However, Kuo said in the report that he did not expect sales for the two remaining models in the iPhone 12 series, the Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini, to match the warm welcome of the first two models when they launch on November 6.

The smaller iPhone 12 mini is likely to see lower demand in China due to its small display and lack of dual SIM support, he said.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Mainland demand helps boost sales of new iPhones

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