iPhone 16 Pro Sales Soar, MateXT Tri-Fold Phone Sells Out on Launch Day: Instant Retail Emerges as a New Trend

iPhone 16 Pro Sales Soar, MateXT Tri-Fold Phone Sells Out on Launch Day: Instant Retail Emerges as a New TrendOn September 20, the iPhone 16 series and Huawei MateXT tri-fold phone were officially launched, generating significant buzz in the market. The iPhone 16 Pro series saw overwhelming demand, selling out quickly, while the Huawei MateXT tri-fold phone sold out on its first day of release

iPhone 16 Pro Sales Soar, MateXT Tri-Fold Phone Sells Out on Launch Day: Instant Retail Emerges as a New Trend

On September 20, the iPhone 16 series and Huawei MateXT tri-fold phone were officially launched, generating significant buzz in the market. The iPhone 16 Pro series saw overwhelming demand, selling out quickly, while the Huawei MateXT tri-fold phone sold out on its first day of release.

iPhone 16 Pro is "Highly Sought After", Standard and Plus Models Face Price Drops

Similar to last year, the iPhone 16 standard and Plus models experienced price drops. However, at official Apple stores and third-party platforms, iPhone 16 Pro and ProMax versions were "highly sought after".

At the Apple Store official flagship store in Shenzhen's Luohu district, customers lined up until noon to collect their devices, and scalpers waited with paper bags to resell phones. Apple Store staff confirmed that the iPhone 15 standard edition was still in stock, but Pro and ProMax versions required pre-orders with unknown delivery times.

"If you are enrolled in the 'iPhone Annual Renewal Plan', you can come back to the store in four days and try your luck. There might be priority stock available," the staff suggested.

Instant retail emerged as a crucial channel for Apple's new product launch. According to reports, the first batch of users who ordered through Tmall and the official website received deliveries from delivery personnel at third-party platforms and offline stores upon their launch.

The "Instant Retail Consumer Electronics Industry White Paper" highlighted the importance of instant retail for smartphone brands in launching new products and scaling up their market presence. Over the past three years, the consumer electronics category has seen rapid growth in the instant retail market. From 2021 to 2026, the compound annual growth rate is expected to reach 68.5%, with the instant retail consumer electronics market size exceeding 100 billion yuan by 2026.

As the sole official flagship store of Apple on the e-commerce platform, the Tmall Apple Store flagship store saw a 420,000 increase in followers, reaching 26.45 million within just three days between product launch and pre-order.

Tmall stated the Tmall Apple Store flagship store had adequate iPhone 16 stock, guaranteed authenticity, and provided the same benefits as the Apple official website.

Notably, the desert gold colorway of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 ProMax was in the highest demand, selling out instantly. Tmall replenished stock overnight, making 15 restocks within an hour, ensuring sufficient supply.

Meituan revealed that this year, nearly 7,000 Apple authorized specialty stores nationwide simultaneously sold new phones through Meituan's "takeout sales" feature, with an increased number of new stores compared to last year, mainly concentrated in third and fourth-tier cities and county-level regions.

A manager of an Apple authorized specialty store in Jinghong, Yunnan, confirmed that over 60% of the store's online sales came from instant retail channels like Meituan Flash Purchase, and that the supply of the iPhone 16 was more abundant this year.

Ele.me also announced a partnership with 4,000 Apple authorized specialty stores, allowing Ele.me users to receive their new phones within 30 minutes at the fastest.

Offline Queues Remain, Scalpers: iPhone 16 Standard and Plus Models Have Faced Price Drops

Despite the booming online sales, offline users still queued up to purchase the iPhone 16 series.

"I'm not willing to wait even a second. New products must be obtained firsthand!" On September 20th at 8:00:32 am, at the Suning store, Rong, a seasoned Apple fan, purchased an iPhone 16 ProMax using the trade-in program, opting for the 256 GB version and the popular desert gold color.

It's worth noting that the iPhone counter at the Hema X Membership store also saw long queues. Hema official information confirmed that the Hema X Membership store simultaneously launched the iPhone 16 series, allowing consumers to purchase readily available stock without appointments.

However, scalpers lost interest in the iPhone 16 standard and Plus models.

"Currently, the iPhone 16 standard and Plus models have faced price drops, and we no longer collect standard and Plus devices for resale," said a scalper. "We mainly collect Pro and ProMax versions now, and the profit margin is not much. We're mainly earning a 'hard work' fee."

The pricing list sent by second-hand collectors indicated that the iPhone 16 Pro saw minimal price premiums, only 100-200 yuan higher, while the iPhone 16 ProMax, especially the new desert gold titanium metal colorway, had a price premium of 300-400 yuan.

Similar situations unfolded in Hong Kong, just across the Shenzhen river. Standard and Plus versions were neglected, whereas Pro and ProMax versions experienced stock shortages.

Some consumers chose to refuse their initial iPhone 16 Pro deliveries.

"The color I pre-ordered wasn't appealing to any scalpers, and the iPhone 16 Pro doesn't have Apple Intelligence yet. I think it's best to wait for Double 11 (Singles Day) to buy, at least there will be significant price reductions," said a consumer.

Richard Yu Personally Promotes Huawei's Tri-Fold Phone, MateXT Tri-fold Phone Sells Out on Launch Day

On September 7th, the Huawei MateXT Extraordinary Master edition opened for pre-orders, igniting the market. The number of reservations on the Huawei Mall exceeded 6 million.

At the Suning Easy Buy Nanjing Xin Jie Kou store, two tri-fold screen new phones were displayed prominently at the entrance.

"Since the Huawei MateXT Extraordinary Master went on sale, the number of visitors to the experience area has increased by nearly two-fold," revealed the store staff.

"I came to the Suning store to experience the phone as soon as it was released, and I immediately placed an order," said Mr. Li, who was placing an order for the Huawei MateXT Extraordinary Master at the Suning store.

Huawei Terminal BG Chairman Richard Yu personally visited the Shanghai Huawei flagship store today to present phones to the first batch of tri-fold screen users.

Richard Yu mentioned that the number of pre-orders had surpassed 6 million, and Huawei was working overtime to increase production.

The Huawei MateXT tri-fold phone also saw explosive online sales. The Huawei official online platform indicated that all models of the MateXT Extraordinary Master were instantly swept away, with no stock remaining on the official website channel. The purchase page showed "waiting in line." The Huawei Mall indicated that stock would be available again on September 21st at 10:08 am.

Second-hand platforms witnessed numerous sellers listing their MateXT tri-fold phones, with the initial price premium of 20,000-30,000 yuan dropping to an estimated price premium of 10,000 yuan.

Beyond the official mall, the MateXT tri-fold phone was also listed on official self-operated stores on platforms like Tmall, JD.com, and Suning Easy Buy.

Suning Easy Buy displayed two tri-fold screen demo phones in its Nanjing Xin Jie Kou store.

The Suning Easy Buy store staff stated, "Since the Huawei MateXT Extraordinary Master went on sale, the number of visitors to the experience area has increased by nearly two-fold."

In conclusion, the strong sales of the iPhone 16 Pro and Huawei MateXT tri-fold phone reflect consumer enthusiasm for high-end smartphones.

The rise of instant retail not only provides consumers with a more convenient shopping experience but also becomes a crucial avenue for smartphone brands to launch new products and scale up their market presence.