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iPhone XS sales stronger than last year’s lineup, but iPhone 7 remains #1, suggest analytics

Flurry Analytics used data from over a million mobile apps to estimate iPhone XS sales, comparing them with last year’s launch of the iPhone X and iPhone 8.

The company says its data indicates that this year’s flagship iPhones proved a significant success for Apple, even before the iPhone XR goes on sale …

Unsurprisingly, the iPhone XS/Max first week sales beat out last year’s sales of the iPhone 8/Plus. The delayed launch of the iPhone X made that one a no-brainer.

But the firm also says that a like-for-like comparison shows that Apple generated 7% more revenue from iPhone XS sales (both sizes) than it did from combined sales of the iPhone X and iPhone 8/Plus in the equivalent periods last year.

We get to this conclusion by comparing the revenue generated from two groups of devices:

  1. 2017: 8, 8 Plus (released Sep 22 – 27, 2017) and X (released Nov 3 – 9, 2017)
  2. 2018: XS, XS Max and X (all incremental unit sales from Sep 21 – 27, 2018)

From this comparison, taking unit sales of the different devices and multiplying them by the different prices from each time period, we estimate that Apple generated 7% more revenue during week one of the XS, XS Max and same-week incremental sales for the iPhone X (now offered at a discounted rate), compared to the combined sales of the 8, 8 Plus and original iPhone X during their respective first week.

The firm says it expects this trend to continue into the holidays.

Our net takeaway is that Apple is able still able to drive solid market share uptake with its latest devices, but is also actively raising prices to keep revenue growing. The strategy appears to be working, and they are well positioned heading into the holiday season. We look forward to sharing more insights as the holiday season progresses.

However, as successful as iPhone XS sales have been, the iPhone 7 still holds the number one slot.

In terms of market penetration, the iPhone 7 (15.40%) is the #1 iPhone model currently. The iPhone 7 Plus (12.73%) is #2, followed by the iPhone 6S (12.40%).

The iPhone XS Max won DisplayMate’s best smartphone display award, while Consumer Reports said that it wasn’t quite good enough to dethrone the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 as its top-rated smartphone.

Photo: Shutterstock


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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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