iPhone 7, iPhone 6s dominate Q3 smartphone sales, iPhone 8 has strong debut

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The iPhone held the top two worldwide sales slots in the third quarter of 2017, with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6s holding the top two spots on the chart.




New data from market research firm Canalys published on Thursday put Apple handily in the top two spots worldwide of devices shipped, with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6s taking the top two spots. Apple's iPhone 8, available for eight days in the quarter shipped 5.4 million iPhone 8, and 6.3 million iPhone 8 Plus units.

Canalys notes that there was an "uptick" in older models such as the previously mentioned iPhone 6s. The iPhone SE had a strong showing as well, according to the firm.

Correcting the Canalys data for the 92 days in the quarter, the iPhone 7 saw 141,304 phones per day sold. with the iPhone 6s seeing 85,870 devices sold per day. No data was provided for the iPhone SE.

Assuming the Canalys data set about the iPhone 8 is correct, correcting for the eight days available in the quarter, the iPhone 8 sold 675,000 phones per day, with the iPhone 8 Plus selling 787,500 of the larger model.

The "per day" sales for the iPhone 8 family are probably unsustainable, as the first eight days encompasses the press of orders for any new and popular device in the first few days of availability.

Canalys notes that 2017 is the first third quarter that a new iPhone model did not eclipse previous versions with only a few days of availability. However, it is also the first year that Apple has announced three new models on the same day.

"With the launch of the iPhone X, [Apple] now has five tiers of iPhone and delivers iOS at more price bands than ever before," wrote Canalys. "This is a new strategy for Apple. It is aggressively defending its market share, but it will not compromise its rigid margin structure to do so."

Samsung maintains the lead of smartphone vendors, and grew market share with the mid-range Galaxy J2 Prime, and its fleet of low-margin and low-cost Android handsets. The Galaxy J2 Prime retails for $129.99.


Comments

  • Reply 1 of 19
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    Wait, but I thought the iPhone 8 was a "dud", there were "zero" lineups, sales were "anemic", "nobody" wanted it, and the phone was conclusively a complete failure? That's what pretty much every single analyst, tech blog, and mindless avatars on the internet were saying. I'm so SHOCKED that this narrative turned out to be complete horse-shit. SHOCKED I tell you!
    anton zuykovradarthekatfotoformatRacerhomieXStrangeDayspscooter63Bebejony0albegarcwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 19
    5.4M iPhone 8s and 6.3M iPhone 8+'s. The chatter on here and via retailers seemed to suggest the split was MUCH more in favour of the PLUS model but maybe not so. Not everyone wants a two handed phablet after all it seems.
  • Reply 3 of 19
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    When you look at from user's point of view, it gets clear why one would either buy iPhone X or iPhone 7 / Plus over iPhone 8 / Plus. In few months, one will be able to buy new or used iPhone 7 128GB or iPhone 8 64GB for the same price.
    supadav03
  • Reply 4 of 19
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    If all the suppliers in the chart showed growth, at whose expense did it come? LG and Motorola?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 19
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator
    adm1 said:
    5.4M iPhone 8s and 6.3M iPhone 8+'s. The chatter on here and via retailers seemed to suggest the split was MUCH more in favour of the PLUS model but maybe not so. Not everyone wants a two handed phablet after all it seems.
    Assuming the data is correct, its the first time that the Plus size outsold the non-Plus.

    But, I'm sure that not everybody wants a two-handed phone.
    albegarcwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 19
    adm1 said:
    5.4M iPhone 8s and 6.3M iPhone 8+'s. The chatter on here and via retailers seemed to suggest the split was MUCH more in favour of the PLUS model but maybe not so. Not everyone wants a two handed phablet after all it seems.
    Yeah, looks like people who seemed not to know what they were talking about, actually didn't know s-t. What a surprise!
    radarthekatwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 19
    adm1 said:
    5.4M iPhone 8s and 6.3M iPhone 8+'s. The chatter on here and via retailers seemed to suggest the split was MUCH more in favour of the PLUS model but maybe not so. Not everyone wants a two handed phablet after all it seems.
    Very unexpected people with small hands favor the Plus: women. They have the advantage of carrying a hand bag or shoulder bag. On the other hand the Plus  has the perfect size to be qualified as “handheld computer”. What justifies two-handed use is its “computer” aspect. With a full 6.5” display a Plus size X would be a big hit. Many people, including me, preferred the 8 Plus to the X because of its wider display and despite the advantages of OLED.

    With EarPods you don’t need to use both hands to make a call with the Plus. Just talk to Siri... Apple Watch is another alternative.
    edited November 2017 watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 19
    tzeshantzeshan Posts: 2,351member
    Samsung Galaxy J2?  What?  Very few Android fans are buying Galaxy S8, S8+, S8 Edge? How about Google Pixel?  These phones were told to beat iPhone 7. Consumers are smart if they can personally test the goods they are buying. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 19
    retrogustoretrogusto Posts: 1,109member
    Horace Dediu recently said that he only expects iPhone ASPs to go up by about $10 in the coming year, but if they are really selling more 8 Plus than 8, and also a fair number of the X, it seems like the ASP could really go up a lot more. 
    pscooter63watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 19
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    adm1 said:
    5.4M iPhone 8s and 6.3M iPhone 8+'s. The chatter on here and via retailers seemed to suggest the split was MUCH more in favour of the PLUS model but maybe not so. Not everyone wants a two handed phablet after all it seems.
    After many non plus iPhones, I elected to try an iPhone 8+ this time around. I do have smaller hands and yes, it can be harder to use one handed in certain situations. However, I do like the larger screen as I use my phone to watch things like Twitch, Sling, etc. I also like the longer battery life as well. 

    I think its just a matter of preference and I'm glad Apple offers both as a choice instead of restricting customers to the smaller phone as in previous years before the Plus models debuted. Something like an iPhone X size may solve this for both as the physical size is smaller, yet it offers similar screen size as the Plus models. It will be interesting to see how Apple does this down the road. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 19
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    If you have a normal size hand and want one handed handling of bigger size iPhone than there is nothing better than iPhone X. But, please put good case so you don't drop,break while getting used to one handed operation. If 4.7" frame iPhone 8S LCD becomes non home button iPhone than it can even easier for one handed use.
  • Reply 12 of 19
    GG1GG1 Posts: 483member
    tzeshan said:
    Samsung Galaxy J2?  What?  Very few Android fans are buying Galaxy S8, S8+, S8 Edge? How about Google Pixel?  These phones were told to beat iPhone 7. Consumers are smart if they can personally test the goods they are buying. 
    I couldn't confirm from the Canalys link how a smartphone is defined. I assume a smartphone is running an OS with user-configurable software capability (Android or iOS) as opposed to a fixed-capability or feature phone OS.

    If true, then the processor on which to run Android will get cheaper over time, making ever cheaper Android phones fit this data analysis (i.e., Apple will lose "marketshare").

    Don't get me wrong - Apple don't give bubkes about such analyses (their profit margin will remain high), but it will feed the anti-Apple narrative.

    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 19
    slurpy said:
    Wait, but I thought the iPhone 8 was a "dud", there were "zero" lineups, sales were "anemic", "nobody" wanted it, and the phone was conclusively a complete failure? That's what pretty much every single analyst, tech blog, and mindless avatars on the internet were saying. I'm so SHOCKED that this narrative turned out to be complete horse-shit. SHOCKED I tell you!
    I absolutely hate that those liars can get away with such BS. Just like a dog taking a dump on someone's lawn and then just walking away as free as the breeze. I wish those lying crooks could be prosecuted for spreading their dirt on Apple with no actual facts at all. Amazon will never have that sort of crap done to them because everyone is scared to death of Jeff Bezos (now America's wealthiest man). Those liars know Tim Cook has no power, so they spread their Apple rumors and speculations like it was the truth and just walk away into the night. The worst thing about it is these trash stories get repeated dozens of times around the internet without anyone actually trying to find out the truth. They're all so happy to hear about Apple failing. It's so perverse how Americans are hoping for Apple to fail as though there isn't enough of a trade deficit already.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 19
    smalmsmalm Posts: 677member
    mike1 said:
    If all the suppliers in the chart showed growth, at whose expense did it come? LG and Motorola?

    Samsung — 82,5 - 76,0
    BBK — 62,1 - 48,0
    Apple — 46,7 - 45,5
    Huawei — 39,1 - 33,6
    Xiaomi — 28,0 - 16,0
    LG — 13,9 - 13,5
    Lenovo — 13,0 - 14,0
    ZTE — 9,8 - 14,8
    Alcatel — 6,0 - 9,1
    Others — 99,4 - 109,5
    Sum — 400,5 - 380,0

    Q3/17 - Q3/16 — Counterpoint Research
    #1#5 market share in Q3/2016: ~58% in Q3/2017: ~65%
  • Reply 15 of 19
    "…rigid margin structure." Yes, Apple means to stay in business by making money on high quality products, financing new research and development. That's a very traditional, successful business model. Imagine if that were more wide spread in the industry.
    ben20chiaalbegarcwatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 19
    piotpiot Posts: 1,346member
    THIS from Canalys " Apple is clearly making a portfolio play here. With the launch of the iPhone X, it now has five tiers of iPhone and delivers iOS at more price bands than ever before. This is a new strategy for Apple. It is aggressively defending its market share, but it will not compromise its rigid margin structure to do so.”
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 19
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    slurpy said:
    Wait, but I thought the iPhone 8 was a "dud", there were "zero" lineups, sales were "anemic", "nobody" wanted it, and the phone was conclusively a complete failure? That's what pretty much every single analyst, tech blog, and mindless avatars on the internet were saying. I'm so SHOCKED that this narrative turned out to be complete horse-shit. SHOCKED I tell you!
     It's so perverse how Americans are hoping for Apple to fail as though there isn't enough of a trade deficit already.
    Apple's iPhone is treated as an imported Chinese product as far as trade is concerned, so what happens is every shipment of iPhones to the US adds to the deficit with China. Of course that might not be a fair way of counting and leaves a lot of stuff out since Apple's margin adds a significant value, and I've no idea how the components supplied by Apple are handled but it is what it is. The iPhone is considered a foreign product. 
    edited November 2017 muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 18 of 19
    Very unexpected people with small hands favor the Plus: women. They have the advantage of carrying a hand bag or shoulder bag. On the other hand the Plus  has the perfect size to be qualified as “handheld computer”.
    moreover, smaller hands (as a result, thinner fingers) help with that, as well.
  • Reply 19 of 19
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Here's a cool and short article explaining the trip your iPhone made to get in your hands. 
    http://www.afr.com/technology/mobiles-and-tablets/apple/an-apple-iphones-journey-from-chinese-factory-floor-to-western-retail-store-20161229-gtjnaf

    The process probably differs quite a lot from what many here would assume. 


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