Apple Lowers Prices of iPhones, iPads, Macs, AirPods, and More in China as VAT Cut Takes Effect
Apple has lowered the prices of several products in China this week, including the latest iPhones, iPads, and AirPods.

As noted by CNBC, the iPhone XR now starts at 6199 RMB on Apple's online store in China, nearly five percent lower than its previous 6499 RMB price tag. The higher-end iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max models each received a 500 RMB price cut as well and now start at 8,199 RMB and 9,099 RMB respectively.
Likewise, the second-generation AirPods with the standard Lightning charging case now start at 1,246 RMB, down slightly from 1,279 RMB, and the 11-inch iPad Pro has been discounted to 6,331 RMB from 6,499 RMB previously.
The price cuts appear to be due in part to a reduction in China's value-added tax (VAT) that went into effect today to help boost the economy there, but regardless of the reason, any price cut could be good news for Apple as it seeks to bolster sales in China.
Last quarter, Apple issued its first revenue warning in 16 years due to "fewer iPhone upgrades" than it anticipated and "significantly greater" than expected economic weakness in the Greater China region. Apple already discounted iPhone prices at third-party resellers in China to improve results.
Popular Stories
Apple plans to bring Apple Intelligence to China in iOS 27.3 after two years of regulatory delays, reports Bloomberg. The launch will include basic Apple Intelligence features for things like photo editing, but Siri AI won't be available. Image Playground and the newer version of Genmoji will be missing, plus text generation tools will be limited.
The South China Morning Post today reported...
Sales of iPhone 18 Pro models in China were 12% higher in the three days after launching than sales of iPhone 17 Pro models were during their entire first week last year, according to Counterpoint Research.
The strong start helped Apple claim the top spot in the country's smartphone market for the week of September 14 to 20, handing it a 33% share. But the news could get even better for...
Tim Cook is visiting China for the third time this year, with talks in Guangdong focused on expanding Apple's manufacturing and sales operations, the South China Morning Post reports.
This is Cook's first China trip in his capacity as Apple's executive chairman. He moved into the position on September 1 when John Ternus took over as CEO. Apple has said part of Cook's work involves...