iPhone 17 continues to crush it in even the most challenging markets

Apple really has a winner on its hands this generation with the iPhone 17, which continues to crush it in the sales department even across the most challenging markets. Despite the initially controversial iPhone 17 Pro redesign, the entire lineup is topping charts in China, as domestic phone manufacturers struggle to catch up.

iPhone 17 tops charts in China

According to a new analysis report (subscription required), the iPhone 17 has reclaimed the top spot for smartphone sales in China during the holiday season. iPhone 17 shipments jumped a whopping 28 percent this holiday quarter according to Counterpoint Research, leaving behind Huawei, which had recently performed quite well domestically.

Most major Chinese phone makers — Xiaomi, Honor, and Vivo, for example — all saw declining growth in the last quarter of 2025. Oppo and Apple, however, remained in the green, with the latter outperforming the others by magnitudes.

iPhone Air failed to perform well

While the iPhone 17 series has performed remarkably well the world over, the new iPhone Air has not, including in China. According to the report, the only weak spot on Apple’s growth charts for the Chinese market is the iPhone Air, which was released much later due to eSIM restrictions, and did not capture much attention.

This is likely due to the fact that, for now, the iPhone Air costs a pretty penny for worse performance, poorer thermal control, a heavily degraded camera experience, and limited battery life. These problems will likely be addressed in future Air models, and sales for Apple’s newest experimental iPhone model should hopefully pick up.

Apple and Samsung learned valuable lessons

I’d like to think that both Samsung and Apple have learned valuable lessons last year. Samsung made the Galaxy Z Fold 7 a formidable entry into the foldable segment, and it immediately sold so well that the company improved sales expectations for its folding phones for the first time in years.

On the other hand, Apple changed up the external look of its flagship phones after years of the same old design. In addition, the iPhone 17 is the best bang-for-your-buck base model iPhone that we’ve seen in years, rendering the iPhone 16e almost pointless. Is it any wonder, then, that the iPhone 17 is continuing to crush it in even the most challenging markets?