iPhone 17 goes on sale, old model prices drop sharply

Vietnam is said to be among the markets that will sell iPhone 17 early, making hand-carried goods traders worry that they will no longer have a chance to make a profit.

Although the "Awe Dropping" event will take place at 0:00 on September 10 (Vietnam time) to introduce Apple's new product series - with the focus on the iPhone 17 series - the domestic smartphone market has been moving for several weeks now.

Smartphone purchasing power continues to increase

According to records, iPhone prices have continued to drop sharply in recent days. For example, the iPhone 16 Pro Max 256 GB has dropped by nearly 5 million VND, to under 30 million VND/unit, the iPhone 16 Plus 128 GB is now 21 million VND/unit. The iPhone 15 series also has a similar price reduction, in which the 128 GB version is now 15 million VND/unit, the Plus 128 GB version is now 18 million VND/unit. Older iPhone models have recorded even deeper price reductions, when many iPhone 12, 13, and 14 models have dropped below 10 million VND/unit.

It is expected that after the iPhone 17 is launched, the selling prices of old models will decrease further, the decrease depends on the popularity and influence of the latest product on the market.

Ms. Nguyen Phuong Yen (Binh Trung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) decided to buy an iPhone 15 Pro Max for nearly 21 million VND, a sharp reduction from the opening price of 35 million VND. "I usually buy old iPhone models, not following the new models because the price is suitable for my budget, avoiding waste" - Ms. Yen explained.

Like Ms. Yen, many customers took advantage of the time when the old iPhone models were discounted before the iPhone 17 officially went on sale in Vietnam. The deep price reduction created an opportunity for users who wanted to upgrade but did not need or could not afford to keep up with the latest technology to still be able to access the iPhone lines.

Notably, although a segment of customers are waiting for new products, which has affected iPhone purchasing power somewhat, the overall impact is insignificant, and sales have maintained a slight increase. Models under 20 million VND - including brands such as Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi... - are still popular with customers, becoming the driving force to maintain sales of retail stores at this time.

As usual, old iPhone models are heavily discounted before the latest iPhone is released.

Will crowd to buy?

Amid reports that Vietnam could become the first market to launch iPhone 17 on September 19, along with Singapore and Thailand, authorized dealers said they are still waiting for an official announcement.

"If this information is authentic, it can be seen that Vietnam is increasingly becoming an important market in Apple's global strategy," said the director of a smartphone retail system.

Statistics from the iPhone retail system show that sales revenue on the opening day of iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 in Vietnam both exceeded 1,000 billion VND, making the Vietnamese market a bright spot for growth for the "Apple" company.

However, the fact that Apple may include Vietnam in the group of markets that will open the iPhone 17 early will significantly affect the hand-carried goods traders. Mr. H., a hand-carried technology goods trader in Ho Chi Minh City, often flies to Singapore or Thailand to line up to buy iPhone phones during each opening sale.

"There are customers willing to pay up to 100 million VND to hold a new iPhone on the first day. Each customer in line will be able to buy 2 phones, so even if I can only buy a small quantity, each opening season, I still make a profit of at least several tens of millions of VND" - Mr. H. said.

In addition, in recent years, many technology enthusiasts or some KOLs often fly abroad to experience the feeling of touching the iPhone as soon as possible, making hand-carried goods less attractive.

"Vietnam becoming a group 1 market not only helps domestic consumers access iPhones sooner but also eliminates hand-carried activities that create huge price differences" - a representative of a large distribution system commented.

In Vietnam, dealers are calculating expected prices for domestic users, but there is usually not much difference compared to the US market thanks to increasingly strict genuine distribution policies.

However, in the beginning, the carry-on market still has the opportunity to "follow suit", when many people are willing to pay a few million VND more to own the product early instead of having to wait for delivery according to the order of deposit.

A manager at a distribution unit (who requested anonymity) said that right after Apple launched the iPhone 17 series globally, domestic dealers would simultaneously accept deposits on September 12. "Previously, some retail systems often organized delivery events from 0:00 to attract customers. But if Vietnam becomes an early opening market, it will only be allowed to deliver from 8:00 on September 19, there will be no more crowded queues from midnight" - this person said.

The price of iPhone 17 Pro Max is 1,199 USD

In addition to the iPhone 17 series - including iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max and 17 Air, the "Awe Dropping" event is expected to launch other products in the Apple ecosystem such as Apple Watch, AirPods. According to foreign sources, at least 2 new Apple Watch models and AirPods Pro 3 wireless headphones will be introduced with new features that integrate artificial intelligence (AI) to some extent.

Notably, the iPhone 17 and Apple Watch will be available globally on Friday, September 19, in line with Apple's tradition of choosing the launch date on the second or third Friday of September, after the launch event.

The starting price of the iPhone 17 is likely to be $799, the iPhone 17 Air could be $949, ​​the 17 Pro is $1,099, and the 17 Pro Max is $1,199.

Mr. Phuong

Source: https://nld.com.vn/iphone-17-mo-ban-gia-may-doi-cu-giam-sau-196250909193230346.htm