Apple’s attempt to capture the market with the ultra-thin iPhone Air appears to be failing in China. According to insider Digital Chat Station, the device is selling significantly worse than the standard lineup.
Sales figures reveal a massive gap:
- iPhone Air. Less than 200,000 units sold.
- iPhone 17. Approximately 5 million units sold.
- iPhone 17 Pro Max. Over 8 million units sold (the best-selling model).
The Air is currently selling 24 times worse than the base model and 40 times worse than the Pro Max. This poor market performance has reportedly led Chinese manufacturers to cancel their own ultra-thin smartphone projects and influenced Samsung’s decision to close the Edge line.
The eSIM controversy and hardware mods
To achieve the Air’s thin profile, Apple removed the physical SIM slot, opting for an eSIM-only design. This has not stopped enthusiasts.
Insider Ice Universe shared images of modified units where engineers in China installed a physical SIM card slot near the USB port. However, due to the lack of internal space, the vibration motor had to be removed to accommodate the modification.