News from IT on October 27th: According to the "Smartphone Weekly Sales Tracking Report" by market research firm Counterpoint Research, Apple's iPhone 18 Pro series, which was launched in September, saw a 3.1% increase in global sales compared to the same period last year for the iPhone 17 Pro series.
Judging from the performance of various regions, the growth was mainly driven by the Chinese market. The sales volume of the iPhone 18 Pro series in China increased by 29% year-on-year, thanks to a more sufficient supply in the early stages of its launch compared to last year, as well as the price increases of competing flagship models from Chinese Android phone manufacturers. Without the contribution of the Chinese market, the global sales growth would have been far lower than 3.1%.
The markets in the United States and Japan experienced year-on-year declines, mainly due to the increase in prices of new models. American consumers generally feel that new models do not offer significant improvements in functionality and design compared to the previous generation; in Japan, exchange rate fluctuations exacerbated the price increases, leading to a decrease in demand.
It is learned from the report that the Pro Max model accounts for 56% of the total sales of the entire Pro series, which is slightly lower than last year's 57%. In addition to the increase in the price of new models, the growth in sales in emerging markets such as India and Southeast Asia comes more from the Pro model, which is also a reason for the decline in the sales proportion of the Pro Max model.
Deputy Director Lin Xiujing pointed out: "Whether the strong performance of the Chinese market can continue will become clearer in the coming weeks, as it is due to consumers purchasing devices in advance. Whether sales volumes in the US and Japanese markets can recover, and whether the iPhone and Duo products launched in the 34th week will actually generate new purchasing demand or just divert sales from Pro Max, are the two factors that deserve the most attention in the short term."
Research Director Taran Patak pointed out: "The iPhone 18 Pro series has received mixed reactions in different markets. We track sales every week to observe how long the demand can last after the initial sales peak at launch. This will affect sales performance during the holiday shopping season at the end of the year. Last year, the iPhone 17 series sold very well, but the pressure of rising storage costs and macroeconomic uncertainties are affecting consumers' decisions to upgrade their devices. Overall, the cycle for upgrading devices is getting longer. However, even if the sales growth is only in single digits, it is still beneficial for Apple: more consumers upgrading to the Pro series helps to improve the revenue structure. In addition, the pre-order performance for the iPhone Duo models is also very strong, with current supply falling short of demand."
