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October 15, 2020

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Mixed responses to iPhone 12 launch

Source: Agencies | 00:00 UTC+8 October 15, 2020 | Print Edition

APPLE’S iPhone 12 launch drew mixed reactions in China yesterday, with fans cheering a 5G model for their favorite brand while others planned to wait for upcoming devices from local rivals like Huawei Technologies.

The much-anticipated Apple launch comes in the wake of Chinese Android-platform brands such as Huawei and Xiaomi Corp having already rolled out higher-end 5G devices compatible with China’s upgraded telecoms networks, with the US giant seen by some analysts to be late to the party.

In its second-largest market by revenue, Apple’s announcement was feverishly discussed on social media. With over 6 billion views, the tag “iPhone12” ranked as the No. 1 topic on China’s Twitter-like Weibo.

Asked if they’d buy the new iPhone, which will give Apple users 5G access in a market where such networks are already widespread, respondents to a Caijing magazine poll were almost evenly split: Some 10,000 voted no, 9,269 said yes, and just over 5,400 said they were still considering it.

Available for orders in China from October 16, the iPhone 12 will cost 5,499 yuan (US$815.37) for a “mini” version, rising to as much as 11,899 yuan for the top of the range.

That price tag was also a hot topic, with many complaining it was too expensive. “How is it this expensive even with no power charger or earbuds?” asked one poster, referring to Apple’s announcement that it would leave out those components citing environmental reasons.

Many Weibo users said they may put off ordering iPhone 12s to wait for the expected unveiling of Huawei’s rival Mate 40 Pro this month.

Still, analysts said they were bullish about the iPhone 12’s reception in China, saying that the firm still likely had many loyal users who have postponed upgrading devices until the launch of the 5G-friendly iPhone 12.

With the new model in view, research firm Canalys recently revised its forecast for iPhone shipments to China in fourth-quarter 2020 to a 14 percent year-on-year increase, a big swing from the 1 percent decrease it originally predicted.

“In China now, 5G is not a premium feature, it’s a must-have feature,” said Nicole Peng, who tracks China’s smartphone sector at Canalys. Peng said the 5G launch will “trigger a new wave of phone replacements” for Apple in China before the end of the year and in first-quarter 2021.

Canalys expects 50 percent of Chinese phone owners to be using a 5G device by the end of 2020, as networks and phone brands have aggressively pushed adoption. Only 29 percent of US phone owners will be on 5G devices by the same time.

Whether iPhone buyers see a dramatic speed boost will depend heavily on where they are and which carrier they use, what Bob O’Donnell, head of TECHnalysis Research, called “lots of little niggly details that get in the way of delivering on the promise of 5G.”

He said Apple may be setting some customers up for disappointment when phones ship but offer only modest speed increases until carriers build out networks. Apple said all iPhone 12 models in the United States will support millimeter wave 5G, the fastest variant of the technology, as well as lower-frequency bands.

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