iPhone 18 Pro demand jumps nearly 20% in India, rises 12% in China

As prices rose, demand among 2.5 billion consumers rose

iPhone 18 Pro is estimated to have had a 12% y/y sales increase in its first week on sale in China, placing first in weekly smartphone rankings, according to Counterpoint Research.

Though the iPhone 18 Pro was only available for only three days, Apple took about 33% of share that week.

Overall China’s weekly smartphone sales fell at a double-digit year-over-year pace since July. Overall sell-out in Week 38 was still about 17% below the same week a year earlier.

Meanwhile in India, demand for the iPhone 18 Pro has risen by nearly 20% compared with the iPhone 17 Pro at the same point last year.

The iPhone 18 lineup went on sale on September 18 and drew long lines in major cities. Some customers traveled for hours to reach Apple Stores in places such as Mumbai, with waits stretching as long as 10 hours.

Counterpoint Research director Tarun Pathak expects Apple’s volume market share in India to reach 10% in 2026 — the company’s first full calendar year in double digits. That would represent a sharp rise from just 4% in 2022.

The base iPhone 18 Pro costs the equivalent of about $1,700 in India.

As iPhone sales grew, makers of lower-priced smartphones reportedly saw a sharper decline this year.

Anyone see a pattern?

Let’s look at the data.

The iPhone 18 Pro Density of pixels reduced for a portion …

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