iPhone 14 Plus Has Among Highest Depreciation Rate in Chinese Smartphone Market

With its high price of 6,999 yuan ($974), and no major updates from the previous generation in terms of configuration and appearance, the iPhone 14 Plus has set records for the fastest price reductions in China, arousing lively discussion. National Business Daily learned from domestic e-commerce platforms that the price of the iPhone 14 Plus is generally about 500 yuan cheaper than on the official website, while the price of the standard iPhone 14 is generally about 200 yuan cheaper.

According to a report released by SellCell, the iPhone 14 series has not performed well in terms of value preservation. Specifically, the iPhone 14 Plus has the highest depreciation rate at 38.6%. In 2021, the depreciation rate of the iPhone 13 was only 18.2%.

On October 7, the iPhone 14 Plus was officially opened for sales in China. Shortly after that, it encountered price reductions on third-party sales channels, where it was about 400 yuan cheaper than on Apple’s official website. A similar situation occurred with the iPhone 14. On September 18, news that “scalpers are willing to sell iPhone 14 by paying 100 yuan extra” was a trending topic discussion on Chinese social media.

Apple’s official website shows that the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are in stock, and consumers can directly pick up the goods at the store, or choose the delivery service. At present, pre-order figures of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are not ideal, while the Pro version continues to sell well.

Affected by these developments, the price/performance ratio of the Apple 13 series is becoming more outstanding. The latest research report from Counterpoint Research shows that after the launch of the iPhone 14 series, the price of refurbished or used iPhone 13 series has increased by an average of 11%, especially the prices of the Pro and Pro Max versions.

SEE ALSO: iPhone 14 Sales in China Lag as Apple’s Local Ties Transform

According to CITIC Securities, the amount of iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max reservations accounted for 13%, 6%, 45% and 37% respectively, based on statistics of Apple stores in JD.com.

National Business Daily quoted a senior analyst at IDC China as saying that the sales of the iPhone 14 this time are far inferior to the iPhone 13 in the same period last year, mainly because upgradea are less important and not very attractive to users, and Apple has adjusted its follow-up production plan and will provide more Pro versions.

Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities recently wrote on social media, “iPhone 14 Pro Max accounts for about 60% of the total order increase of Pro models, benefiting iPhone ASP/product mix for the fourth quarter this year. I think this result will encourage Apple to create more differentiation between iPhone 15 Pro Max and 15 Pro to raise 15 Pro Max shipments and enhance the iPhone product mix.”