{
  "id": 10903527,
  "title": "Apple leads China smartphone sales after launch of iPhone 18 Pro. Can the momentum last?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/apple-leads-china-smartphone-sales-after-launch-of-iphone-18-pro-can-10903527",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-30T08:45:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SCMP Tech",
    "slug": "scmp-tech",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3369323/apple-leads-china-smartphone-sales-after-launch-iphone-18-pro-can-momentum-last"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Apple has secured the top spot in China's smartphone market following the launch of its iPhone 18 Pro series, according to a report by Counterpoint Research. Sales of the new Pro models surged by 12 percent during their first three days of availability on September 18, surpassing the sales of the iPhone 17 Pro line-up during its entire first week in 2022. This strong performance propelled Apple to claim a 33 percent market share, marking the company's highest position in the week of September 14 to 20. Counterpoint Research's analyst Ivan Lam attributes Apple's success to the delayed launch of the base iPhone 18 model, which encouraged some consumers to upgrade to the Pro series. Additionally, price hikes of over $200 on many Chinese flagship devices may have enhanced the iPhone's value proposition. As domestic competitors such as Huawei, Xiaomi, and others unveil their flagship devices ahead of the National Day holiday, Apple stands to benefit further from the debut of its first foldable handset, the iPhone Duo, slated for release on October 23. UBS predicts a 15.4 percent year-on-year increase in Apple's global iPhone shipments, reaching 261 million units, despite the industry grappling with memory chip shortages due to growing demand for AI infrastructure. China's smartphone sales have contracted by double digits year-on-year since July, primarily driven by subdued consumer spending and elevated chip costs. The memory shortage is expected to further dampen global smartphone shipments, with IDC forecasting a 16.7 percent decline this year, marking the steepest annual drop on record.",
  "summary": "Apple has claimed the top spot in China’s smartphone market following the release of its iPhone 18 Pro series, giving a potential boost to a sluggish handset market weighed down by weak consumer demand and soaring component costs. Sales of the new Pro models in their first three days after launching on September 18 were 12 per cent higher than sales of the iPhone 17 Pro line-up during its entire…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "AppleInsider",
        "title": "Making millions of iPhone Duos is proving harder than Apple hoped",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/making-millions-of-iphone-duos-is-proving-harder-than-apple-hoped",
        "published": "2026-09-29T14:16:53.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "9to5Mac",
        "title": "Here’s how many iPhone Duo units Apple is reportedly making",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/heres-how-many-iphone-duo-units-apple-is-reportedly-making",
        "published": "2026-09-29T16:02:52.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Tom's Guide",
        "title": "iPhone Duo report just revealed how many Apple is producing — there's good and bad news",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/iphone-duo-report-just-revealed-how-many-apple-is-producing-theres",
        "published": "2026-09-29T19:20:06.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Techmeme",
        "title": "Apple Pay launches in India, letting eligible Axis Bank Visa and Mastercard credit cardholders add their cards to Apple Wallet on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch (Dhruv Mohan/The Economic Times)",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/apple-pay-launches-in-india-letting-eligible-axis-bank-visa-and",
        "published": "2026-09-30T04:50:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Apple expected to sell 6 million units of iPhone Duo on 'bold' price point",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/apple-expected-to-sell-6-million-units-of-iphone-duo-on-bold-price",
        "published": "2026-09-30T05:51:42.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Apple leads China smartphone sales after launch of iPhone 18 Pro. Can the momentum last?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/apple-leads-china-smartphone-sales-after-launch-of-iphone-18-pro-can",
        "published": "2026-09-30T08:45:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}