Apple’s aggressive iPhone 17 discounts in China are already driving massive sales before the country’s annual 618 shopping festival officially begins, and the latest activation numbers show that buyers still prioritize value and premium hardware over brand nationalism when prices become more attractive.
According to details shared by Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station, Apple recorded more than 30 million activated iPhone 17 units during the recent W20 promotion period in China, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max leading the lineup by a huge margin.
The flagship model reportedly crossed 13.2 million activations, while the base iPhone 17 reached over 9.16 million units, and the iPhone 17 Pro followed with more than 7.8 million activations.
iPhone 17 Pro Max Leads Apple’s Sales Push
The strong demand for the iPhone 17 Pro Max does not come as a surprise because the device combines Apple’s A19 Pro chip with strong battery life and premium hardware that continues to attract high-end buyers in China. At the same time, the standard iPhone 17 has gained attention because Apple finally brought a high refresh rate LTPO OLED display to a non-Pro model while also increasing the base storage to 256GB.
Interestingly, the leak did not mention any activation numbers for the iPhone Air despite reports that it received one of the biggest discounts during the sale period.
Apple reportedly offered discounts of up to $368 on selected iPhone 17 models ahead of the 618 shopping event, and that pricing strategy appears to be working extremely well as several Android brands continue raising prices due to increasing RAM costs and supply pressure.
For now, Apple’s pricing advantage and hardware value are helping the iPhone 17 lineup maintain strong momentum in one of its most competitive markets.
