Taimur Asad·

Apple’s Ultra-Thin iPhone Air Will Debut In China This Week

Apple’s new iPhone 17 will officially go up for preorder in China later this week. The news was confirmed by CEO Tim Cook during a visit to the country.

Cook posted to the Weibo social network to confirm that the iPhone Air will go on sale on Friday, around a month after it first went on sale in the United States and elsewhere.

The delay was caused by regulatory issues surrounding the phone’s use of eSIM technology. The iPhone Air doesn’t have a physical SIM card slot, but Chinese carriers have traditionally not been quick to jump on the eSIM bandwagon. The delay didn’t affect the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, or iPhone 17 Pro Max because those three phones all support physical SIM cards alongside eSIMs.

“Excited to announce iPhone Air will be available next week and pre-orders start this Friday, October 17!”, Cook said via machine translation.

Apple has confirmed that China Unicom, China Mobile, and China Telecom will all support the iPhone Air and eSIM. Preorders will begin on October 17 before the phone officially goes on sale across China on Wednesday, October 22.

Buyers can expect to pay 7,999 yuan for the entry-level 256GB model. Other capacities will be available for those who need extra space for their apps, games, photos, and media.

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