Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro series has recorded strong sales in China, with an estimated 1.3 million units sold during its first week. The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max reportedly outsold their predecessors by 15% during the same period last year.
The new models also attracted strong demand during pre-orders. Retailers reportedly sold out of available stock quickly, with estimates suggesting 7 million pre-orders. Some stores also recorded twice the revenue compared to the iPhone 17 Pro launch last year.
According to the reports, the two new models have maintained this momentum since their launch. Their first-week sales reached nearly 90% of the entire iPhone 17 lineup’s sales in China during its opening week in 2025.
Apple has yet to release new standards and Air models. As a result, customers looking for a new iPhone currently have only the Pro models available. The company is expected to introduce the next standard iPhone and possibly a new Air model in the coming months.
Interestingly, the iPhone 18 Pro Max accounted for 55.5% of combined sales, making it the more popular model. This marks a shift from the pre-order period, when 60% of buyers chose the smaller iPhone 18 Pro.
Apple has also raised prices across its new lineup. However, the increases vary by storage capacity. The 256GB and 512GB models received a CNY 1,000 (around $150) price increase. Meanwhile, the 1TB and 2TB versions became CNY 2,500 and CNY 3,500 more expensive, respectively, despite using slower QLC chips.
Price increases have also varied across markets. Data compiled by BigGo shows that the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro costs around 11% more in China. In the US, the $100 increase represents a price rise of approximately 9%.
Japan has seen a much larger increase. The 256GB iPhone 18 Pro now costs JPY 219,800, up JPY 40,000, or around 22%, from the original price of its predecessor. Apple had already raised the iPhone 17 Pro’s price from JPY 179,800 to JPY 194,800 before launching the new model.
Even compared with the revised price of the iPhone 17 Pro, the new model costs more than JPY 20,000 extra in Japan. Despite these increases, the early sales figures suggest that demand for Apple’s latest Pro models remains strong in China.
