What was largely an assumption prior to today has essentially become a certainty, as Counterpoint Research analysts believe one member of the latest iPhone family has struck gold at the Chinese box-office during its first 10 days of availability, with a second one setting the equally important US market on fire in the same timeframe, while a third one is... not doing so well.
Big progress for the "vanilla" iPhone 17, tiny improvement for the iPhone Air
As insane as it may sound, the sequel to the world's most popular handset in both Q1 and Q2 2025 is somehow selling even better than the non-Pro and non-Plus iPhone 16. Of course, it's still early days, so there's no way to know just how comfortably the 6.3-inch iPhone 17 will dominate the global smartphone shipment charts in Q1 and Q2 2026.
But following the iPhone 16's own strong start in virtually all major markets this time last year, it's pretty astonishing to hear that the iPhone 17 has nearly doubled its predecessor's 10-day unit sales in China, jumping by a combined 31 percent in China and the US.
That's a lot of sales for the iPhone 17, but also the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max.
In contrast, the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max are only up by 12 percent in the same two countries over the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max, while the iPhone Air is so far proving 14 percent more successful than the iPhone 16 Plus it technically replaced in Apple's product lineup.
That may sound like a relatively solid early result for Apple's ultra-thin smartphone (especially before its belated Chinese commercial debut), but something tells me the expectation for this bad boy in comparison with the unpopular iPhone 16 Plus was a lot higher.
Have you purchased a 2025 iPhone?
Yes, the 'vanilla' iPhone 17
17.02%
Yes, the iPhone 17 Pro
6.38%
Yes, the iPhone 17 Pro Max
19.15%
Yes, the iPhone Air
19.15%
No, and I don't have any intention of doing that
29.79%
No, but I plan to
8.51%
The world's number two smartphone vendor can't possibly be content with seeing the iPhone Air deemed a "niche" product likely to "remain" that way for at least a little while longer, especially after presumably investing millions and millions of dollars into its marketing.
Is the ultra-thin experiment already over?
For Samsung, it reportedly is, but Apple is essentially guaranteed to give the iPhone Air more time to "breathe" and possibly one or two sequels before throwing in the towel. After all, that was the company's approach for both "mini" and "Plus" iPhones, and if the first Air is even a bit more popular than the last Plus, that should be enough to buy a little time and goodwill.
On the whole, the iPhone 17 series (presumably including the Air as well) has apparently exceeded the Chinese and American sales of the iPhone 16 family during its opening 10-day window by 14 percent, which is certainly a strong enough result to signal no big trouble on the horizon for Apple and no reason for a major overhaul in 2026.
The iPhone Air is not selling great for now, but (at least) a sequel remains all but guaranteed. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
Then again, 2026 is still expected by many analysts to be the year the first foldable iPhone finally sees daylight, and there's also a possibility that the "vanilla" iPhone 18 will be moved to the spring of 2027 to make room for an entirely super-premium iPhone family next fall.
That sounds like an even riskier move on Apple's part than it initially seemed after hearing about the incredibly strong start of the "base" iPhone 17 today, but I guess weirder things have happened in the mobile industry before, so you probably shouldn't rule out any possibility for the time being.
Where does the iPhone 17 family go now?
Clearly, the sky is the limit for how successful Apple's new iPhones can become over the next year or so, undoubtedly led by the A19-powered iPhone 17 with a dual 48MP rear-facing camera system and 256GB base storage.
Recommended Stories
The iPhone 17 family is and will likely remain more successful than the iPhone 16 series. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
Yes, I fully expect this bad boy to continue outselling the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max around the world, thus marking an important shift from last year's iPhone 16 series. You might not remember this, but the iPhone 16 Pro Max and even the iPhone 16 Pro actually outsold the "regular" iPhone 16 in 2024 before the latter surpassed both its higher-end brothers to earn the title of the world's top-selling smartphone in Q1 and Q2 2025.
This time around, I don't think the iPhone 17 Pro Max (let alone the 17 Pro) will be able to beat the non-Pro iPhone 17 for even a couple of weeks of availability (let alone three or four months), which might not be great news for Apple's profit margins. But if that's how the market leans, what can you do?
"Iconic Phones" is coming this Fall!
Relive the most iconic and unforgettable phones from the past 20 years! Iconic Phones is a stunningly illustrated book we’ve been crafting for over a year—and it’s set to launch in just a couple of months!
Iconic Phones: Revolution at Your Fingertips is the ultimate coffee table book for any phone enthusiast. Featuring the stories of more than 20 beloved devices, it takes you on a nostalgic journey through the mobile revolution that transformed our world. Don’t miss out—sign up today to lock in your early-bird discount!
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts:
New accounts created within the last 24 hours may experience restrictions on how frequently they can
post or comment.
These limits are in place as a precaution and will automatically lift.
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: