iPhone Air to begin pre-order in China after telecom operators approved for eSIM services

Apple's iPhone Air would be available for pre-order in China later this week, as major Chinese telecom operators obtained regulatory approvals for eSIM services, the company said on Monday.

The iPhone Air, priced from 7,999 yuan ($1,121.56), will be the only model in China to have service providers' support for an eSIM - a digital SIM embedded in the device.

The country's three major telecom companies - China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom - have all been cleared by regulators to provide trial eSIM services, a website affiliated with the industry ministry said on Monday.


"Excited to announce iPhone Air will be available next week and pre-orders start this Friday, October 17!," Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is currently in Shanghai, said on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, weeks after the iPhone 17's launch in the country.