iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus units reportedly smuggled to China in Twinkie boxes

By Williams Pelegrin September 23, 2014

iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Even though the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus saw strong sales over the first weekend of availability, both models have yet to officially go on sale in China. The Chinese government hasn’t issued regulatory approval for the new iPhones. As a result, some Chinese citizens came up with unique methods to smuggle the new iPhones into their homeland.

Some smugglers have resorted to removing Twinkies from their packaging and replacing the delicious yellow sponge cakes with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus units, reports CNBC reporter Eunice Yoon. According to Yoon, other methods of smuggling the new iPhones into the country involve placing them in coffee tins and toothpaste boxes.

Currently, the iPhone 6 sells for $1,900 on the Chinese black market, while the iPhone 6 Plus is reportedly going for a wallet-draining $3,250. However, the Chinese government’s review of the license for the iPhone 6 could be “completed soon,” which might help drive down the cost of new iPhones sold on the black market.

The lesson to be learned here is you can’t knock the Chinese for their creativity, even if some of their handsets, like the new Sophone i6, can be blatant knockoffs.

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Williams Pelegrin

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…

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