Global sales of Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro series in the first three weeks after launch were 3.1% higher than for the iPhone 17 Pro series over the same period a year earlier, according to Counterpoint Research.
The research firm described the launch as mixed. The smartphones performed well in markets such as China and India but more modestly elsewhere.
China drove the bulk of the growth. Sales there rose 29% year-over-year—the strongest of any market—helped by better early stock availability compared with last year’s iPhone 17 Pro models and price increases on competing flagship Android phones from Chinese makers, which boosted demand for Apple’s devices. Excluding China, overall global sales growth would have been far weaker, Counterpoint said.
In contrast, sales fell in the United States (down 4%) and Japan (down 27%). The new models are more expensive than their predecessors. U.S. consumers saw few meaningful improvements in features or design to justify the higher prices, while in Japan, exchange rates amplified the price increases and dampened demand.
Within the iPhone 18 Pro series, the Pro Max accounted for 56% of sales, a slight decline from 57% for the prior generation. Higher prices and stronger relative growth of the standard Pro model in emerging markets such as India and Southeast Asia contributed to the shift, according to the data.
Counterpoint analysts noted the early nature of the figures. Associate Director Sujeong Lim said it remains to be seen whether China’s outperformance reflects durable demand or front-loaded buying, and highlighted the recovery of U.S. and Japanese volumes plus the potential impact of the later-launching iPhone Duo (whether it generates incremental demand or cannibalizes Pro Max sales) as key near-term factors. Research Director Tarun Pathak described regional reception as mixed and pointed to lengthening upgrade cycles amid memory-driven price hikes, macroeconomic uncertainty, and a strong prior year for the iPhone 17 series—while noting that even single-digit volume growth remains favorable for Apple.
MacDailyNews Take: For iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max sales to have increased over the hit iPhone 17 Pro models, even with the specter of iPhone Duo looming over them, is excellent news for Apple and AAPL shareholders!
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