Did you know that the iPhone 17 is the world's best-selling handset? If you've been closely following our website or the very interesting reports published by analytics firms like Counterpoint Research over the last month or so, you probably did, and you might also remember that the higher-end iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Pro followed their "vanilla" brother in the global sales hierarchy of Q2 2026.
But if you've been wondering how the collective iPhone 17 family is doing compared to previous Apple devices in terms of revenue rather than just volume, the somewhat predictable yet still very important and impressive answer is offered by the latest Counterpoint market study.
Apple is making more money than ever
Yes, the iPhone 17 series is an all-time record-breaker as far as first-year revenue is concerned, earning its manufacturers over $170 billion since September 2025. That's a solid 11 percent improvement compared to the revenue generated by the iPhone 16, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max in their first 12 months of commercial availability, and yes, the 2024-released iPhones had managed to boost the iPhone 15 family's numbers as well.
The iPhone 16 series was obviously not a bad earner either, but the iPhone 17 family is something special. | Image by Counterpoint Research
In fact, the iPhone 14 was Apple's only handset lineup of the last seven years that failed to improve its predecessor's revenue scores, which might make the iPhone 17's achievement sound a little less remarkable.
But given that the mobile industry is going through a pretty tough time and worldwide smartphone shipments are shrinking as a consequence of rising prices, it's definitely impressive to see last year's iPhones do so well in every metric from unit sales to revenues and profits.
The base iPhone 17 showed the greatest progress
Just in case that 11 percent increase doesn't sound big and impressive enough, it appears that the non-Pro iPhone 17 somehow managed to generate 30 percent more revenue than the non-Pro iPhone 16 without getting a price hike... until yesterday.
Recommended For You
How could you not love the powerful little iPhone 17? | Image by PhoneArena
The incredible success of the Apple A19-powered 6.3-incher with dual rear-facing cameras makes its manufacturer's decision to hold the "vanilla" iPhone 18 for next spring feel like quite the gamble, especially now that the iPhone 17 officially starts at $899 instead of $799 in the US.
Of course, higher prices (theoretically) equate to higher revenue, but that's only if sales numbers remain relatively steady. And that means the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max (which are both $100 costlier than their respective predecessors) will need to sell like hotcakes to improve on the combined total of the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max. Pretty tricky stuff, don't you think?
Here are more news stories about Apple's newest iPhones:
What used to be a market dominated by ultra-affordable handsets has grown increasingly "premium" in recent years, and Apple is without a doubt the number one benefitter of this trend reversal, boosting its revenues in China by 35 percent for the iPhone 17 series compared to the iPhone 16 family.
This obviously happened because regional sales went up, but also because more and more Chinese buyers are opting for higher-end iPhone models and storage configurations. The same goes for Japanese consumers and Apple fans in "emerging markets", while iPhone revenues in more "mature" regions like North America and Europe are actually growing at a slower pace now.
Will the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max outsell their predecessors?
1 Votes
That shouldn't be a big concern for the Cupertino-based tech giant, though, especially with the iPhone FoldUltra Duo expected to become particularly popular in, you guessed it, North America and Europe.
Counterpoint Research, by the way, isn't ready to make any firm predictions regarding the money Apple will earn in the "next iPhone cycle", but with prices up and most sales forecasts looking strong, the company is expected to "further boost its smartphone business." In other words, the late iPhone 18 launch may not prove such a big problem in the long run.
Six-month unlimited plan is now 57% off
$90
$210
$120 off (57%)
Mint Mobile is now allowing you to get whichever plan you like for either three, six, or 12 months for just $15/mo. If you go for the six-month unlimited service, for instance, you'll now have to pay just $90 upfront instead of $210.
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.
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: