Apple’s iPhone 17 is selling stronger than expected, marking its best smartphone earnings since COVID-19

The sale of Apple’s new iPhone 17 marks the tech giant’s strong smartphone earnings since the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by its biggest redesign in years.

Industry experts tracking Apple’s supply chain, mobile carriers, and customer wait times revealed that early demand for the revamped iPhone exceeded expectations ahead of its September debut.

Following these impressive results, several analysts shared their predictions that the tech giant’s smartphone sales this fiscal year will increase by 4%, reaching a new record of $209.3 billion, according to data from Visible Alpha. For 2026, this growth rate is anticipated to further surge to around 5% with sales of iPhone hitting an all-time high of $218.9 billion. 

Tech analysts acknowledged the remarkable sales of Apple’s iPhone 17 this year 

The remarkable sales of Apple’s iPhone 17 have significantly improved market sentiment as the company approaches the crucial holiday shopping season. This occurs despite several delays encountered during the release of artificial intelligence features and the impacts of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on the tech giant’s share price over the last year.

Gene Munster, a managing partner and co-founder at Deepwater, commented on the topic of discussion. Munster pointed out that it is accurate to conclude that the launch of iPhone 17 was unexpected compared to what Wall Street predicted at the end of August.

When tracking Apple’s performance in 2023 and 2024, tech analysts discovered that in its 2023 financial year, which ended in September, the company encountered a decline of 2% in its smartphone revenues. Later in 2024, it faced a flat performance. This decline triggered the analysts to investigate the root cause of the poor performance.

Their analysis found that people practiced cautious spending because they had spent heavily on electronics during the pandemic. However, after implementing updates to the iPhone’s cameras, displays, and batteries this year, it was observed that many individuals began to replace their old devices with the newly released iPhone version.

This week, analysts from Bank of America referenced data from Apple’s stores and carriers, noting that iPhone 17’s shipping times are longer than in previous years. 

This could suggest an enthusiastic interest from iPhone buyers, said Munster, further illustrating that when lead times are longer, it typically means that there is an improved product cycle.

He also highlighted that wait times for the newly released iPhone are approximately 13% longer than last year’s, possibly demonstrating a bigger “upgrade cycle.” 

The launch of Apple’s iPhone 17 solidifies the tech giant’s position as a leader in the industry 

Apple plans to report its fiscal fourth quarter results on October 30, which would include sales details from the first weeks of the launch of iPhone 17.

“Apple is having a great quarter for sure,” said Francisco Jeronimo from IDC. “I cannot remember the last time I saw lines outside the Apple store like I have seen this year.”

Jeronimo also compared the checks of Apple’s supply chain during the launch of iPhone 17 and iPhone 16 and concluded that the orders for the iPhone 17 are much stronger than those from last year, when the iPhone 16 was launched.

Meanwhile, analysts observed Apple’s unit sales and highlighted that the sales of the iPhone are mostly steady. Following this observation, units are predicted to remain around 235 million between Apple’s fiscal years 2024 and 2026, according to data from Visible Alpha.

By 2027, analysts speculate that the company will start to sell more than 240 million units, and by the end of the decade, that figure could escalate to almost 260 million. There are also rumours about an upcoming launch of a foldable iPhone next year.

Notably, Apple has stopped disclosing the number of units it sells. Instead, the tech company aims to make investors pay more attention to its revenue. The tech giant argues that substantial increases in its growth come from the clients it already has.

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