Beijing Scalpers Offer 3,000 Yuan for iPhone Duo as China Launch Runs Into Tight Supply
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Oct 23
Beijing Scalpers Offer 3,000 Yuan for iPhone Duo as China Launch Runs Into Tight Supply
1 articles · Updated · CNBC · Oct 23
Summary
Scalpers outside Apple’s Sanlitun flagship in Beijing offered buyers up to 3,000 yuan ($448) on Friday to hand over newly purchased iPhone Duo devices immediately.
Tight supply drove the premium: Apple barred walk-in purchases in mainland China on launch day, capped online orders at two phones, and some deliveries had already slipped to January 2027.
About 100 pre-booked customers lined up at the store, with some arriving as early as 6 a.m., underscoring solid early demand for Apple’s first foldable phone despite its high price.
China is the world’s largest foldables market, where Apple is entering late against Huawei’s roughly $3,000 Mate XT2 and Xiaomi’s 18 Fold.
Apple’s AI pitch remained a secondary draw in China, where Apple Intelligence is only entering beta this month after Alibaba-backed models won approval and Siri’s revamped version is still unavailable.