The iPhone 17 series went on sale today (September 19) in mainland China, and the market demand is booming. The flagship Apple stores in Beijing and Shanghai saw long queues early in the morning, with most people purchasing the orange and silver iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models. In Beijing, scalpers were offering up to an additional 1500 yuan to buy stock.
According to reports from various Chinese media outlets such as The Paper and “Qilu Evening News,” on the 19th, the Apple iPhone 17 series officially went on sale, with long lines forming outside the Apple stores in Sanlitun, Beijing, and Nanjing East Road, Shanghai. Some consumers waiting in line said they were primarily drawn to the upgraded imaging features of this model. At the same time, some loyal customers mentioned that while the prices remained the same this year, the upgraded configurations made it worth upgrading.
Online users who managed to be among the first to purchase shared live updates from the Apple retail store in Sanlitun, Beijing. Starting early in the morning, a long queue formed outside the store as customers prepared to collect their orders. They would be among the first customers in mainland China to get their hands on the new iPhone. When 8 o’clock struck, all retail store staff gathered at the entrance to count down and greet the first batch of customers who had pre-ordered for pickup, creating an bustling atmosphere.
Before 8 a.m. on the 19th, customers lining up to collect the iPhone 17 series phones outside the Apple flagship store on Nanjing East Road, Shanghai, were also seen in long queues.
According to The Paper, on-site observations indicated that the number of customers who came to collect their phones on the first day exceeded one hundred, with many opting for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models. For color preferences, the newly added orange and traditional silver colors were the most popular choices this year.
Meanwhile, a large number of scalpers gathered outside the Apple flagship stores, with significantly more present than last year. Some customers who received their phones chose to sell them to scalpers to make a profit by selling at a markup. The 256GB version of the iPhone Pro Max was particularly popular this year, with scalpers willing to pay an extra 500-600 yuan for it, while other versions saw markup prices ranging from 100-200 yuan.
One scalper explained that the reason for offering a higher price for the 256GB version was due to high demand for this particular model.
There were also individuals who set out by car as early as 2 a.m., traveling from Changzhou to Shanghai, in hopes of being among the first to obtain the new iPhone.
In addition to the enthusiastic “Apple fans” who came to collect their orders, many other consumers visited to experience the new devices firsthand.
Reported by the Economic Daily, queue scenes at the Shanghai Nanjing East Road direct store surpassed previous years, forcing staff to set up additional barriers to maintain order.
The popular models quickly sold out at the direct stores in Beijing and Shanghai. According to the First Financial Daily, around three hundred people were waiting in line outside the Apple flagship store in Sanlitun, Beijing, to be among the first to pick up their pre-ordered devices. Soon after sales started, all iPhone 17 series models inside the store were sold out, leading scalpers outside to markup certain popular models by several hundred to over a thousand yuan.
On the first day of the iPhone 17 series release, Central News Agency reported that their journalists visited the Apple flagship store in Jing’an, Shanghai at noon. Many people were in line outside, preparing to enter and collect their devices, with a wait time of at least 20 minutes confirmed by store staff. As for the level of popularity, sales data for the first day were not yet available, but many customers were seen holding the iPhone 17 Pro models or higher.
A number of people came to inquire about the iPhone Air model, and store staff explained that there were currently some difficulties with the iPhone Air but that “good things are worth the wait.”
Reported by Jiemian News, the resale market among scalpers is often an indicator of the popularity of the new iPhone each year. Many Beijing scalpers mentioned that the Pro Max model was the most sought after this year, with few people opting for the Pro model. For the orange iPhone 17 Pro Max model in 512GB and 1TB storage options, scalpers were adding markups of 1000 yuan and 1500 yuan, respectively.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s analysis of iPhone 17 series pre-order data posted on social media revealed that the demand for pre-orders over the weekend exceeded that of last year’s iPhone 16.
He stated that based on total production volume in the third quarter, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, Pro, and standard models were about 25% higher than the iPhone 16 from the same period last year. However, the shipping time had only increased by about one week, indicating a strong total pre-order demand for these models.
Currently, the Apple official website shows that the delivery time for online orders of the iPhone 17 series ranges from 3 to 4 weeks.