iPhone 18 Pro China pre-orders top 7 million despite price rise
Apple took more than 7 million pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in China after the pair went up by CNY 1,000 to CNY 10,000 and CNY 11,000, with JD selling out inside a minute.
The details
- Over 7 million iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max units were pre-ordered in China across all channels.
- Pre-orders in China opened on Saturday 12 September 2026 at 8pm local time.
- Retailer JD ran out of available units in under a minute.
- The iPhone 18 Pro starts at CNY 10,000 in China and the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at CNY 11,000.
- Both 2026 Pro models are CNY 1,000 more expensive in China than their 2025 predecessors.
- Tmall pre-order sales revenue for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max was double what the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max generated in the same period a year earlier.
- Around 60% of Chinese pre-orders were for the smaller iPhone 18 Pro rather than the Pro Max.
- The iPhone 18 Pro weighs 211g and the iPhone 18 Pro Max weighs 249g.
- Burgundy was the most-picked colour among Chinese pre-order buyers.
- Analyst Jeff Pu described United States pre-orders for the 2026 Pro models as less than stellar.
Why it matters
A price rise of CNY 1,000 followed by record pre-orders is the clearest evidence yet that demand at the top of the market is not tracking price, which is the assumption most 2026 forecasts were built on.