iPhone 17 demand surges in China, with a 22% jump in sales driving market enthusiasm
The launch of the iPhone 17 series has given Apple a major boost in sales in China. Sales rose 22% in the first month of launch, while the overall market declined. Strong demand and a growing number of customers have propelled Apple back to growth.
Apple's new flagship series appears to have turned the company's fortunes around in China. A new report from Counterpoint Research shows that iPhone sales in the country increased 22 percent year-over-year in the first month of availability for the iPhone 17 lineup, marking a significant improvement from the decline Apple suffered after the launch of the iPhone 16 last year.
The data shows that nearly four-fifths of all iPhones sold to Chinese customers after September 19th were from the iPhone 17 range.
This is in line with Tim Cook's very upbeat comments during the company's Q4 2025 earnings call, where he said Apple was "very happy" with the response in China.
After a prolonged period of weak sales in the region, Cook said the new lineup has been "very well received" and will lead Apple back to growth in the current quarter.
Cook also clarified that any weak performance last quarter was due more to supply constraints than to lower demand. He explained that customer traffic in China was significantly higher year-over-year, and new devices were growing rapidly without relying heavily on government discounts.
Many Apple products are not eligible for those discounts due to their price, so the current upturn is largely coming from genuine customer demand.
Despite the market decline, Apple's sales increased
Counterpoint data further reinforces this point. Reuters reports that while the overall Chinese smartphone market declined by 2.7 percent during the same period, Apple saw strong growth driven by its new models.
For comparison, sales declined by 5 percent in the month following the launch of the iPhone 16 last year, highlighting the significance of this sharp increase.
The strong initial performance of the iPhone 17 lineup not only boosts Apple's confidence in the region, but also marks a significant turnaround in one of its toughest markets.
The company is aiming to revive steady growth in China, and new data suggests Apple's new flagship devices have arrived at the perfect time.