The iPhone 5S is off to a good start, but the same can’t be said of its colourful sibling, the iPhone 5C. As soon as the phones went on sale it emerged that the iPhone 5S was outselling the 5C by a factor of 3.5x to 5x depending on the market.

To be fair, Apple never said it intended to launch a budget phone, but many analysts and investors were horrified to learn that the iPhone 5C was supposed to sell for 4488 yuan ($730) off-contract in China. The Chinese market is a tough nut to crack, especially now that it’s possible to get locally designed flagship Android devices for $300 to $350.

According to Chinese media, Tmall, the country’s biggest B2C retail service, has already slashed the price of the entry level iPhone 5C to 3699 yuan, or $600. It is estimated that 91 percent of new iPhones solid in China since the launch were S models.

Of course, this only applies to the Chinese market, and a single retailer. There are no changes in the US or EU and this is clearly not an Apple price cut. What's more, the old iPhone 5 (unlocked) is still some €50 cheaper than the iPhone 5C in Euroland, and we'd recommend it over the iPhone 5C any day.

More at BGR.