The iPhone 4S hasn’t even gone on sale in China yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your hands on one in the country if you’re willing to front some serious cash. According to a PCWorld report, Apple’s fifth-gen smartphone is selling for more than $2,000 on China's grey market.
One vendor in an electronics market in Beijing told PCWorld that he’s selling the 16GB iPhone 4S for $1,729 and the 32GB model for $2,043. He said the phones were originally purchased in Australia and the U.S.
Another vendor from the same market said he is selling the 16GB iPhone 4S for $1,391, but he predicted that the price would start to drop by $100 this week. His phones all came from the U.K., and he had just 30 units left by Monday.
The iPhones found in this market come unlocked and are sold without a contract.
Apple has yet to announce a launch date for the iPhone 4S in China, but the company has said a Chinese language version of Siri voice controls will be built in 2012.
The iPhone 4S hit stores in seven countries on Friday and Apple on Monday announced that it has already sold over four million units, more than double the sales the iPhone 4 did in its first three days. The phone is currently available in the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and Japan. It will roll out to more than 22 countries by the end of the month.
Apple products are in high demand in China. In fact, it’s the fastest growing market for the iPhone, PCWorld noted. CEO Tim Cook said in Apple’s last earnings call that China was “very key” to Apple’s quarterly results, in which sales in the country increased six times over.
For more on the iPhone 4S, see PCMag’s review and unboxing.