Just One Color Change... "Looks Like a Luxury Brand" iPhones Selling Like Hotcakes in China

Subsidies for budget phones also played a key role...up to 100,000 won in support
Chinese word for orange sounds like "success"...trend takes off online

iPhone 17 Pro. X (formerly Twitter) screenshot

Apple, which had been losing ground in the Chinese market, staged a comeback by posting record-high earnings in the fourth quarter of last year. Analysts say this was not because of functional advantages, but because of the orange color that evokes the image of a luxury brand.

According to the Financial Times on the 7th (local time), Apple CEO Tim Cook recently announced that iPhone sales in China in the fourth quarter hit an all-time high. Revenue for the quarter came to 26 billion dollars, up 38% from a year earlier, accounting for about one-fifth of total sales.

Analysts say the redesigned iPhone 17 series has strengthened Apple’s symbolic status in China by making the latest devices instantly recognizable as new and premium products.

In particular, since its launch last fall, the vivid orange model has generated thousands of online posts and fan videos showing off the new phone. The phone is nicknamed “Hermes Orange” because its color resembles the signature shade of French luxury brand Hermes, but Apple has officially named it “Cosmic Orange.”

Nabila Popal, research director at IDC, explained, “It may look simple, but the noticeable design changes, especially the bold orange color, have attracted buyers.”

Subsidies for low-priced phones also key...up to 100,000 won in support

Observers also say Apple benefited significantly from the Chinese government’s subsidy program for low-priced phones. As part of an economic stimulus policy, buyers of smartphones priced below 6,000 yuan (about 1.27 million won) can receive subsidies of up to 500 yuan (about 100,000 won), and the base iPhone 17 model falls within this range.

Huawei’s weak performance also worked to Apple’s advantage. Due to user dissatisfaction with the Harmony operating system, its sales volume fell about 10% last quarter, and as a result, Apple took the top spot in China in the fourth quarter with a market share of 21.8%.

Chinese word for orange sounds like 'success'...a trend online

The fact that the Chinese word for orange sounds the same as the word for “success” has also contributed to Apple’s resurgence. The character for orange, “cheng (橙),” and the “cheng (成)” in the word for success are both pronounced “cheng,” making them homophones. Online, it has become a trend to post videos of the iPhone 17 Pro with the phrase, “May all your wishes turn into oranges (success).”

Influencer An Liang, who has built a following by flaunting his wealth, also said in a recent video, “If you choose the orange color, everyone knows it is the new iPhone 17.”