Apple hits monthly iPhone high

Apple logged its strongest month ever for smartphone sell-through in October, with Counterpoint Research reporting a 12% year-on-year rise in iPhone volumes and a record 24.2% share for the month. The iPhone 17 outpaced the iPhone 16 in its first six weeks on sale, helped by the base model inheriting features that used to be reserved for higher-end devices, but at a lower price.

Counterpoint’s weekly tracking showed solid demand in the US, China and Japan, with China the fastest-growing market despite limited availability of the iPhone Air there. The firm pointed to an ongoing upgrade cycle in mature markets, rising appetite for premium phones and wider availability of older iPhone models as additional drivers. It also forecast that Apple could overtake Samsung as the world’s largest smartphone vendor in 2025 shipments, which would be Apple’s first win over its rival in 14 years if the prediction holds.