iPhone 15 series is hot in the US, not so much in China

iPhone 15 series unit sales for the first 17 days of sales in China is underperforming last year’s iPhone 14, according to preliminary data from Counterpoint Research’s Smartphone 360 Weekly Smartphone Sales Tracker. 

The data is in contrast to early US numbers coming in which reflect robust demand across all models, especially the Pro Max, notes the research group.

“China’s headline numbers for the 15 series are in the red, and this is a reflection of the broader decline in consumer spending,” saysCounterpoint’s Mengmeng Zhang. “But the shorter pre-holiday shopping period coupled with supply mismatches on the Pro Max (with consumers shying away from blue) could push some of the demand to calendar quarter four.”

The research group says that early US numbers are in stark contrast to China, with the first 9 days of iPhone 15 sales showing double-digit increases in overall unit sales and healthy demand across Base, Pro and especially Pro Max models.

“The US is hot right now with back-to-back stellar weekends for the new iPhone. Overall reception of the 15 series has been very positive and we’re expecting a major upgrade cycle from iPhone 11 and 12 users,” says Jeff Fieldhack, Counterpoint research director for North America. “Of course, we’re talking about the first couple weeks of sales, but it’s a positive sign and takes a lot of sting off the China numbers.”