Iphone Xr Price Cuts Continue As Another Japanese Carrier Announces 100 Discount

Another carrier in Japan has announced that it is lowering the price of the iPhone XR. Back in November, NTT Docomo announced it was cutting ~$100 off the price of the iPhone XR, and now SoftBank has announced a similar promotion.

In a press release, SoftBank announced that it is cutting the iPhone XR price by 10,800 yen, which is roughly $100. The price reduction will go into effect next week, starting on January 30th and will be marketed as the “iPhone XR Happy Price Campaign.”

On a two-year plan, this reduces the iPhone XR’s price by 450 yen per month from SoftBank.

In Japan, carriers rely on device subsidies when selling high-end smartphones such as the iPhones, similar to how the carrier market in United States used to work. This often disguises the actual price of smartphones.

Reports have indicated that Apple has authorized carriers in Japan to discount the iPhone XR due to lower-than-expected sales. In the country, customers are reportedly still flocking to the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. This likely due to a combination of the lower price and familiarity the iPhone 8 series offers to shoppers.

Meanwhile, iPhones in China have also seen price cuts as high as 20 percent recently. The iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone XR have all been dropped in price in China, with the iPhone XR selling for 5399 yuan in the country.

Apple also continues to run its iPhone XS and iPhone XR trade-in promotions in Japan, which offer discounts on new iPhones with a trade-in of an older model. Just this morning Apple extended the promo until the end of next month.