On October 22, 2025, the locally - produced version of the iPhone Air in China is set to hit the market officially, with a starting price tag of 7,999 yuan. This marks the first flagship model available in mainland China to feature eSIM support. According to tests carried out by Phoenix Reviews, once the eSIM was programmed into the device, it achieved an impressive downlink speed of 935.28 Mbps and an uplink speed of 117.79 Mbps. These speeds are on par with those offered by a traditional physical SIM card. Earlier, on October 13, Apple's CEO Tim Cook made an announcement regarding the release schedule during a live - streaming session on Douyin. The 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB variants of the iPhone Air are priced at 7,999 yuan, 9,999 yuan, and 11,999 yuan respectively. Pre - sales for the device commenced on October 17. The model is powered by the A19 Pro chip, which delivers performance levels that are nearly on a par with those of the Pro models. It allows for seamless switching between physical SIM cards and eSIM. Moreover, it offers an international roaming experience that is identical to that provided by physical SIM cards.