The entry-level iPhone 17 model looks very similar to the equivalent iPhone 16 model, but it is reportedly proving popular in at least one country so far.
On the popular Chinese shopping website JD.com, the standard iPhone 17 with 256GB of storage received the most pre-orders of any of the new iPhone models after pre-orders began on Friday, according to the South China Morning Post.
There is one caveat: Apple delayed pre-orders for the all-new, ultra-thin iPhone Air in China due to eSIM regulatory approval issues in the country. However, on Apple’s online store in the U.S., most iPhone Air configurations are still available for September 19 launch day delivery, so it is quite possible that the entry-level iPhone 17 would have proved popular in China even if the iPhone Air had also been available to pre-order.
Why is the regular iPhone 17 proving popular, despite being the “boring” choice? It almost certainly comes down to the device’s perceived value, as the device starts at the same $799/5,999 yuan price as the regular iPhone 16 did when it launched, despite featuring a larger 6.3-inch display with thinner bezels, ProMotion support for up to a 120Hz refresh rate, a doubled 256GB of base storage, and many other upgrades. The display improvements in particular finally bring the base iPhone more in line with the Pro models.
So while the iPhone 17 does not have a flashy new design, nor is it the thinnest iPhone ever, it appears to be an unassuming hit so far.
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