The iPhone 8 has been majorly discounted in China after low demand: report

The tech world is eagerly waiting for the iPhone X launch on Nov. 3 — and that outsized focus has seemingly turned Apple's other fall 2017 release, the iPhone 8, into the ugly little sibling in the smartphone ecosystem.

The latest sign of trouble for the iPhone 8 comes from the largest smartphone market in the world: China. Some major e-retailers in China have already slashed the price of the brand new iPhone 8 to make the device more attractive in the face of tepid demand, according to a report from the South China Morning Post spotted by The Verge.

The report claims that Suning.com cut the iPhone 8's price by up to 1,100 yuan ($165.50), while another site, JD.com, is offering reductions of up to 800 yuan ($120.34) off the most expensive version of the smartphone.

Discounts this early in the device's lifecycle could be seen as indication of the iPhone 8's failure to catch on with Chinese users. An industry analyst told the publication that the price slashing pointed to the device being the "most poorly sold flagship iPhone model in China."

Reports of the iPhone 8's struggles have been consistent since Apple released the phone back in September. The festivities surrounding the release appeared more subdued than the typical fervor for other iPhones, and the iPhone 7 was thought be outselling the new 8 less than a month after the new device hit the market.

Supply chain sources then claimed that Apple cut iPhone orders to its manufacturing partners, signaling that the company might look to ship just five to six million units per month in November and December.

Apple hasn't commented on these rumors or provided any concrete sales numbers, so we can't say with absolute certainty that the iPhone 8 has been dead on arrival. The reports and anecdotal evidence of lackadaisical consumer interest in the lead-up to the X, however, is proof enough that the iPhone 8 just isn't catching on.