iPhone 18 Pro demand jumps nearly 20% in India, rises 12% in China
by asymco-admin
As prices rose, demand among 2.5 billion consumers rose
iPhone 18 Pro is estimated to have had a 12% y/y sales increase in its first week on sale in China, placing first in weekly smartphone rankings, according to Counterpoint Research.
Though the iPhone 18 Pro was only available for only three days, Apple took about 33% of share that week.
Overall China’s weekly smartphone sales fell at a double-digit year-over-year pace since July. Overall sell-out in Week 38 was still about 17% below the same week a year earlier.
Meanwhile in India, demand for the iPhone 18 Pro has risen by nearly 20% compared with the iPhone 17 Pro at the same point last year.
The iPhone 18 lineup went on sale on September 18 and drew long lines in major cities. Some customers traveled for hours to reach Apple Stores in places such as Mumbai, with waits stretching as long as 10 hours.
Counterpoint Research director Tarun Pathak expects Apple’s volume market share in India to reach 10% in 2026 — the company’s first full calendar year in double digits. That would represent a sharp rise from just 4% in 2022.
The base iPhone 18 Pro costs the equivalent of about $1,700 in India.
As iPhone sales grew, makers of lower-priced smartphones reportedly saw a sharper decline this year.
Anyone see a pattern?
Let's look at the data.
The iPhone 18 Pro Density of pixels reduced for a portion …
for IR sensors in order to support a 25% reduction in the size of the Dynamic island. It has much better thermal performance due to a new vapor chamber architecture. It has a 48MP variable aperture camera with a minimum of f 1.48. The battery life is greatly improved.
The Pro allows truly professional photography.
So why did the Phone do so well in India?
Are we to believe Indians have been clamoring for better vapor chambers and f-stop?
If we just look at what Apple itself promotes about the product or the cynics who know the price (but not the value) of the product, there are no clues. If we listen to the market analysts they say things like:
'but that dip was attributed to supply constraints rather than fading demand. Sales had otherwise grown for four years.
India is also becoming a more important manufacturing base for iPhones, and recent tax breaks could further strengthen Apple’s position. The current surge in iPhone 18 Pro demand suggests Apple’s high-end strategy is connecting with aspirational buyers, though the company will need to keep balancing premium pricing with accessible payment options if the momentum is to last.'
Neither the feature set analysis nor the market mechanicals explain why the iPhone is growing while the market is shrinking in a market defined by lower incomes and higher share from low-end competitors.
The missing data is that there are millions of middle and upper income individuals in a population of 2.5 billion (nearly one third of humanity), even if they are in India and China (or even in Africa.) The iPhone is an aspirational product with an enormous amount of utility. Luxury goods do well in emerging markets, as long as there is a sense of prosperity that is growing. But they will pull back in times of anxiety. Apple's products are not luxuries. They embody necessity and are used continuously throughout the day, and every day as long as they are owned.
Apple has a remarkable position and one wonders how well this is known inside the company while remaining unknown outside.
6 comments
rbgayle ·
Your last point is a key one -- the iPhone is a necessity and an aspiration. That is why the color burgundy is genius. In both India and China,where red is an important color, burgundy is seen a sign of prosperity. In fact, Axis Bank, the biggest wealth management bank in India, uses Burgundy as its main marketing tool. And Axis is, I believe, the only bank in India supporting Apple Pay. Genius.
FredHS ·
I asked AI about gifting of iPhones. Yes, it's a big deal. It has so many forms, such as romantic gestures, parents or other older relatives, employers, and family members coming from abroad.
In all cases the gift confers status on the recipient and the giver.
Sacto Joe ·
Apple’s competitors don’t miss a trick when it comes to disparaging the company, and the meme that Apple’s products are luxury item has been a staple for them as long as I can remember.
Of course it’s a lie, and of course people see through it, to the point where even old Apple products are commanding - and getting - far more money than competitors’ run-of-the-mill products. Quality design, construction, and support aren’t just about luxury; for those that can afford it, it’s also about saving money and simultaneously doing the job, no matter the age f the product.
I once bought a used Volvo with a crumpled headlight. Nothing else was wrong with it, but it wasn’t street legal like that. I got it for a song, took it home (in the daylight), pulled up to a tree, drilled a hole in the steel on either side of the folded metal, hooked up a chain to two bolts I passed through the drilled holes, backed up - and the metal unfolded like an accordion. I patched the holes, popped in a new headlight, and that became the best car I’ve ever owned, by far. I got many years of use out of it. It wore like iron - or an Apple product.
THAT’S the value of building-in quality!
deemery ·
Off topic, but speaking of cars: I saw a Polestar 2 today. It's too bad Trump has decided we're not allowed to have them. I had a 2 for a rental car for a weekend, and really liked it a lot. And, since my wife's car is a Volvo S-60, the cockpits are very similar. There was also an item on Apple Stocks about the new Polestar they've teased to replace the 2. Sigh...
AAPL ·
David, Polestars are very, very inexpensive in the resale market if you were okay gambling on not needing any dealer specific services
deemery ·
The problem for us is that adding a charger would require running a subpanel, with wiring through the finished part of the basement. That would eat up a lot of the savings from an EV.