Is the iPhone 18 Pro selling well?

If you’ve been following iPhone news this month you’ll notice that there seems to be conflicting information. One report says that the iPhone 18 Pro is selling extremely well. Another says Apple has reduced its component orders because people aren’t buying them. It makes sense to think that someone is getting it wrong.

However, it seems like they’re just looking at different aspects. Apple haven’t published any official figures on how many units they’ve sold of the new phones so here we’re using analyst and supply chain info. All of this is just estimates.

Overall, the new smartphone market in China has been decreasing since July by 17% YoY due to increased costs. However, the iPhone 18 Pro launch has helped reverse this slightly. During its first 3 days on sale, the Pro series grew by 12% compared to last years iPhone sales and Apple took the lead with 33% of the Chinese market.

Counterpoint say that they’ve seen this increase because Apple released the two Pro models much earlier than the standard iPhone 18 so some users who may have waited have upgraded to the Pro. There has been an increase in the premium price range so users are more used to paying more. Finally, Apple have taken on some of the increased component costs meaning the Pro is reasonably priced.

An exclusive from Nikkei has been reported on by Android Headlines. This says that Apple have reduced their component orders for the iPhone 18 Pro series by around 15% for October due to lower than expected demand. However, another report in September found that demand was higher in China than the iPhone 17 with some stores reporting double the revenue. This could mean that the Pro is selling well in China but not elsewhere.

Another report from 9to5Mac has a similar headline. It says that the iPhone 18 Pro has seen a decrease in sales by 4% in the US but was driven by 3.1% growth in China. We’ve only seen the headline here so it may not be accurate.

DigiTimes also reported in their weekly round-up that there has been conflicting reports on how many units of the iPhone 18 Pro will be shipped. They’re concerned that there won’t be much upgrade and prices will be higher.

There is a theory that the iPhone 18 Pro is being overshadowed by Apple’s first foldable. The iPhone Duo went on sale on the 23rd of October. DigiTimes reports that Apple have increased their shipment target for the Duo by 44%, going from 9.7 million to 14 million units due to strong preorder numbers. Android Headlines suggest that some users may have changed their minds about upgrading to the Pro once they saw the Duo.

It makes sense to think that this could be the case but there is no data to prove it. The Duo is a completely different purchase at $2000 and up in the US. It may be targeting completely different users.

A forecast from IDC was reported on by BGR last December. It said that Apple would see around a 4.2% decrease in iPhone sales in 2026 compared to 2025. This was due to component shortages and changes to the iPhone 18 line-up. However, they expect to see growth again in 2027 with around 5.4% growth. This is an older forecast and could have changed but does tie into the idea that it’ll be a slower year as the iPhone 17 cycle was extremely strong.

There is a change to the line-up. 9to5Mac reports that Apple are planning to release an iPhone 18e next Spring to go along with the standard iPhone 18 and iPhone Air 2.

Overall it doesn’t make too much of a difference. If Apple have reduced their orders by 15% it doesn’t mean the phone is any worse in your hand. However, it can affect the stock and deals. If demand is definitely lower outside of China, then you may see retailers and networks offering better deals on trade-ins and bundles as we head into the winter holiday period. This is just an educated guess though.

We haven’t checked the UK prices and deals for the iPhone 18 Pro. You should always check Apple UK and major networks. If you’re not in a rush then the standard iPhone 18 and 18e are expected to be out in Spring and may be a better option if you don’t need the Pro features.

We’ll update this article when Apple or the analysts publish more concrete figures.

9to5Mac, The iPhone 18 Pro is selling well in China for three reasons (1 October 2026): https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/01/the-iphone-18-pro-is-selling-well-in-china-for-three-reasons/ Android Headlines, iPhone 18 Pro weak sales and order cuts: https://androidheadlines.com/2026/10/iphone-18-pro-weak-sales-demand-slump.html DigiTimes, weekly roundup on iPhone Duo shipment target: https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20261026VL200/2026-technology-demand-iphone-apple.html BGR, IDC forecast on iPhone demand: https://www.bgr.com/2042114/iphone-17-demand-breaking-records-troubles-ahead 9to5Mac homepage, headlines on iPhone 18 Pro US sales and the iPhone 18e: https://9to5mac.com/