iPhone 5 Release in China

[Charlie]

I didn’t realize that the iPhone 5 was already available for pre-order in China, but apparently there have already been 100k pre-orders. Anyone getting one? I hear it comes out December 14th, which is next Friday.

I think it’s finally time for me to upgrade my iPhone 4 which I got at launch on China Unicom in Fall of 2010. I hear that the price will be around 5,000 yuan for the iPhone 5. That should include a lot of free service if you get it from Unicom (I think Apple will sell unlocked iPhone 5’s directly in China, too).

China Unicom nets over 100K iPhone 5 preorders on first day of availability

[Ray]

Does apple offer a boxed set: (Ipad + Iphone + Ipod + Imac + Itoaster oven) ? great xmas idea for all the family…..

[JerryS]

5k? Freak! How much does it costs in the states? Might as well go to HK and buy it there…

[Charlie]

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5k? Freak! How much does it costs in the states? Might as well go to HK and buy it there…

IIt costs about the same in the states for an unlocked device (I think $650 + tax). But the advantage of getting it in China is that it includes a great service deal. For example: when I got my iPhone on China Unicom in 2010, I paid 5,000 yuan and got a 2 year service agreement that included 1gb of data for 50 yuan a month (much lower than the normal cost). So over this 2 year period, I saved quite a bit. By contrast, if you get an iPhone in the US, it’s the service contract that really kills you. A minimum of $75 / month times 24 month minimum means $2,000+ including the phone.

[Vincent NL]

I’ve been thinking of getting an iPhone 5 and with the deal from China Unicom it’s interesting.

iPhone 5 prices compared to China’s (bottom)

[Ye Ming]

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I think it’s finally time for me to upgrade my iPhone 4

Any chance that you’re gonna sell your iPhone 4 ? Or someone selling his old iPhone if hes gonna get a new one? I’d be interested

[Ian]

After moving from iPhone 4 to Samsung S3. I won’t be going back.

[Vincent]

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Any chance that you’re gonna sell your iPhone 4 ? Or someone selling his old iPhone if hes gonna get a new one? I’d be interested

I would be selling if Unicom comes with an interesting offer and I can get honest value for mine. It’s an iPhone4 32gb in very good condition.

[Charlie]

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Any chance that you’re gonna sell your iPhone 4 ? Or someone selling his old iPhone if hes gonna get a new one? I’d be interested

Yeah, if/when I upgrade I will probably post the phone for sale here.

[Charlie]

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After moving from iPhone 4 to Samsung S3. I won’t be going back.

That’s interesting, what sold you on the S3? I took a friend who was celebrating her birthday out to lunch over the weekend and helped her setup her S3 which she got that day. It feels really large compared to the iPhone and lighter as well (it has a plastic-y feel which is very different). We tried to download Weixin for a few minutes which required a “Samsung Apps” account or something beforehand, it was a pain and we gave up after a few minutes.

[jock]

I think we can purchase iphone 5 in Taobao (China Ebay). as follow:

http://www.buychina.com/products?keyword=iphone+5&cid=1512

seems there are lots of cheaper iphone 5 in Taobao. most of them are at $800 – $1000.

[hamid]

Guys, don’t put your phone in your jacket pocket, had my 4S stolen a week ago, the day before my birthday. But i wanna get the 5 from Unicom and friends tell me its gonna take at least half a year for them to start selling it, but i know u can buy from taobao now 5000 + RMB, but there are also talks about the 5S which they all say with certainty that it’s gonna be coming soon.

[hamid]

iPhone 5 on Taobao

[Charlie]

Quote:

Guys, don’t put your phone in your jacket pocket, had my 4S stolen a week ago, the day before my birthday. But i wanna get the 5 from Unicom and friends tell me its gonna take at least half a year for them to start selling it, but i know u can buy from taobao now 5000 + RMB, but there are also talks about the 5S which they all say with certainty that it’s gonna be coming soon.

I had a Blackberry stolen the same way years ago, on Kehua Bei Lu. Sorry to hear that you lost a 4S recently, that hurts.

I think the iPhone 5 goes on sale on the 14th at China Unicom. Waiting for the 5S seems kinda silly if you’re in China because the 5S is going to be released next year, and then be released here at least 2+ months after it comes out in the US. With that said, 5k RMB isn’t a bad deal on an iPhone 5 right now, but to me the real deal is waiting for the Unicom service package.

[Vincent NL]

My classmate also had her iPhone stolen recently while she was listen to music. She chased the guy, but of course he was too fast.

I gave Unicom my details last week and they would call me when the iPhone 5 is available, starting this Friday. I don’t know about their service package, but I’ll have a look once it has arrived.

[hamid]

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I had a Blackberry stolen the same way years ago, on Kehua Bei Lu.

Funny, they got mine on ke hua bei lu too. Yeah the unicom package is neat, although my friend tells me that the 5 is even worse than than 4s in terms of the battery. The 4s was bad enough, I could only get 9 to 12 hours outta one charge. My perfect plan of using that phone for 3 more months and getting the 5 has been disrupted.

[hamid]

I know at least three girls who had their iphones stolen while listening to music (one also near ke hua lu). So girls dont let those white earphones show, buy a different set of headphones since now a days nobody is going to go thru that much trouble to get anything less than an iphone. And i hate to create streotypes but I have to say that if you see a xinjiang guy around u …….. double check your pockets.

[Charlie]

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Yeah the unicom package is neat, although my friend tells me that the 5 is even worse than than 4s in terms of the battery. The 4s was bad enough, I could only get 9 to 12 hours outta one charge.

That’s surprising to hear, I thought the 5 had better battery life. I’m used to having to charge my iPhone every night though, and I carry around a spare charger with me in my day bag just in case. The thing with an iPhone is that you use it so much in a single day to do so many things, if you’re a heavy user it just won’t make it all day.

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And i hate to create streotypes but I have to say that if you see a xinjiang guy around u …….. double check your pockets.

Me too, but I think this is a fair stereotype. I’m approached by people on the street who are selling stolen iPhones about 2-3 times a month, usually near the Nijiaqiao subway station. They’re always Xinjiang guys.

[Vincent]

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I’m approached by people on the street who are selling stolen iPhones about 2-3 times a month, usually near the Nijiaqiao subway station.

Be careful with those guys as well if you’re planning on skimming that area for a cheap stolen iPhone. A friend of mine made a deal about a year ago to change his watch + 1000RMB for an iPhone4, he could test the whole device for a couple of minutes and everything worked perfectly. By the time he got home he realized that somehow the scammer/seller replaced the iPhone with a (amazingly good) dummy before he gave it to him. Owned.

[Vincent]

Don’t wanna start a whole new thread about this question: on a scale from 1 to 10, how trustworthy is it to send my iPhone to a buyer in the EU with normal chinese post?

[Author]

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