The launch of Apple's flagship technology line in the competitive Chinese market has been dynamic, with orders piling up at breakneck speed and stores packed with eager shoppers. Initial data from retail networks suggests that the estimated number of pre-orders has exceeded the seven million mark, leading to double the revenue compared to those reported when the previous model was introduced. This strong sales momentum has seamlessly transitioned from digital pre-order screens to physical shipments, establishing a dominant performance baseline for the brand’s latest hardware release.
A review of first-week shipment records reveals that the newly launched iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max sold approximately 1.3 million units across China in the first seven days of their launch, marking a solid 15 percent increase over the volume of the outgoing generation. Industry analysts note an interesting structural shift in buyer behavior, as the lack of a simultaneous entry-level model forced consumers to head straight for the high-performance flagship segment, allowing just two variants to capture nearly 90 percent of the sales volume achieved by the entire previous model lineup during its debut. While the smaller Pro variant initially dominated pre-order preferences, the powerful Pro Max ultimately secured the lion's share of actual shipments - 55.5 percent.
In the domestic Chinese market, prices for mid-capacity configurations saw a modest increase, while high-memory versions saw a much steeper structural increase.