Apple may have clocked up to a fifth more in sales of the iPhone 17 models on launch day, compared with the debut of the iPhone 16 series last year, with demand highest for the premium Pro and Pro Max models, according to market trackers and retailers.
Demand for the slimmer iPhone Air, however, was relatively lower compared with other models in the lineup, primarily due to its higher pricing, they added. “All units of the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air are locally made, but the majority of the Pro and Pro Max models are being imported for now and will slowly be replaced with locally made units in the weeks to come,” an industry executive said.
Varun Mishra, senior analyst, Counterpoint Research said that the highest demand is for the Pro and Pro Max models, which are already being reported out of stock on multiple channels.
“Apple with its aspirational brand image is successfully riding the premiumisation trend in India,” Mishra said.
Its strategy across product portfolio, channels and manufacturing is paying off, with the initial demand for the iPhone 17 series being 19% higher than the iPhone 16 series,” Mishra said. “With aggressive N-1 strategy during the festive season and the 17 series performing better than the 16 series, we expect Apple to reach record sales in the upcoming festive season by growing 28% YoY.”
N-1 refers to the model launched a year ago. In India, sales of older models spike with the launch of the latest series thanks to a substantial price drop.
The Apple device was the best performing smartphone in India in the first half of 2025, according to IDC India, with shipments growing 35%, led by the iPhone 16 series.
The research firm expects Apple to sell over 5 million units in the September quarter, driven by the strong sales of the iPhone 17 series.
Fans queued up outside the four company-owned stores in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Pune with some getting in line during the early hours, ahead of sales starting at 8 am. Store officials said 400-500 people queued up outside the Mumbai store, with things getting a little heated at one point with a scuffle breaking out. In Delhi, the crowd was some 600 strong by the time the store opened at 8 am. Queues persisted till late evening.
Crowds at the newer stores in Bengaluru and Pune were initially low as doors opened, but picked up through the day, with the top models going out of stock by evening, executives aware of the development told ET.
“We were given more units of iPhone Air and iPhone 17 than the Pro models, but customers are demanding the Pro models, of which we only received 10-15 units,” said an authorised Apple reseller in Delhi.
NEW FEATURES
The iPhone 17 Pro models are visibly different from their predecessors, sporting a bigger camera ‘plateau’ and new colours adding to their allure, with the Cosmic Orange shade said to be much in demand.
Apple has given stocks of the new iPhones on credit to retailers for the first time to help boost sales, said the reseller cited above. The company is also focused on driving upgrades in the India market, offering attractive trade-in deals on older models.
The company started selling the iPhone 17 series in India on Friday, the same as its other major markets such as the US, priced at Rs 82,900 to Rs 2.29 lakh.
Priyansh Kaul, 22, a student from Delhi who’s been using iPhones for about eight years, picked up the iPhone 17 Pro Max from Apple's flagship store at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).
“I had pre-booked my unit and got an in-store pick up slot on launch day. It was very smooth. Just one person ahead of me, with no wait," he said.
Aryam, 19, picked up his first iPhone from the BKC store. “I'm mainly a casual user, buying the iPhone 17 mainly to play games. No trade-in or EMI, I paid for it in full with my debit card,” he said.
Smaller retailers are also seeing stocks of the more expensive Pro and Pro Max models run low. A Delhi-based retailer told ET he expects demand for the Pro models to remain high for the first three months, with the base models likely to see a pick up over the rest of the year.
A Mumbai-based retailer said it’s received mostly iPhone 17s and iPhone Airs but demand is more for the Pro models.
“For every 500 units of iPhone 17 series stock we received, only 10-20 pieces were Pro Models,” a Karnataka-based retailer said. Retailers are expecting a larger share of Pro models in the next supply lots, expected next week.
Demand for the slimmer iPhone Air, however, was relatively lower compared with other models in the lineup, primarily due to its higher pricing, they added. “All units of the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air are locally made, but the majority of the Pro and Pro Max models are being imported for now and will slowly be replaced with locally made units in the weeks to come,” an industry executive said.
Varun Mishra, senior analyst, Counterpoint Research said that the highest demand is for the Pro and Pro Max models, which are already being reported out of stock on multiple channels.
“Apple with its aspirational brand image is successfully riding the premiumisation trend in India,” Mishra said.
Its strategy across product portfolio, channels and manufacturing is paying off, with the initial demand for the iPhone 17 series being 19% higher than the iPhone 16 series,” Mishra said. “With aggressive N-1 strategy during the festive season and the 17 series performing better than the 16 series, we expect Apple to reach record sales in the upcoming festive season by growing 28% YoY.”
N-1 refers to the model launched a year ago. In India, sales of older models spike with the launch of the latest series thanks to a substantial price drop.
The Apple device was the best performing smartphone in India in the first half of 2025, according to IDC India, with shipments growing 35%, led by the iPhone 16 series.
The research firm expects Apple to sell over 5 million units in the September quarter, driven by the strong sales of the iPhone 17 series.
Fans queued up outside the four company-owned stores in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Pune with some getting in line during the early hours, ahead of sales starting at 8 am. Store officials said 400-500 people queued up outside the Mumbai store, with things getting a little heated at one point with a scuffle breaking out. In Delhi, the crowd was some 600 strong by the time the store opened at 8 am. Queues persisted till late evening.
Crowds at the newer stores in Bengaluru and Pune were initially low as doors opened, but picked up through the day, with the top models going out of stock by evening, executives aware of the development told ET.
“We were given more units of iPhone Air and iPhone 17 than the Pro models, but customers are demanding the Pro models, of which we only received 10-15 units,” said an authorised Apple reseller in Delhi.
NEW FEATURES
The iPhone 17 Pro models are visibly different from their predecessors, sporting a bigger camera ‘plateau’ and new colours adding to their allure, with the Cosmic Orange shade said to be much in demand.
Apple has given stocks of the new iPhones on credit to retailers for the first time to help boost sales, said the reseller cited above. The company is also focused on driving upgrades in the India market, offering attractive trade-in deals on older models.
The company started selling the iPhone 17 series in India on Friday, the same as its other major markets such as the US, priced at Rs 82,900 to Rs 2.29 lakh.
Priyansh Kaul, 22, a student from Delhi who’s been using iPhones for about eight years, picked up the iPhone 17 Pro Max from Apple's flagship store at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).
“I had pre-booked my unit and got an in-store pick up slot on launch day. It was very smooth. Just one person ahead of me, with no wait," he said.
Aryam, 19, picked up his first iPhone from the BKC store. “I'm mainly a casual user, buying the iPhone 17 mainly to play games. No trade-in or EMI, I paid for it in full with my debit card,” he said.
Smaller retailers are also seeing stocks of the more expensive Pro and Pro Max models run low. A Delhi-based retailer told ET he expects demand for the Pro models to remain high for the first three months, with the base models likely to see a pick up over the rest of the year.
A Mumbai-based retailer said it’s received mostly iPhone 17s and iPhone Airs but demand is more for the Pro models.
“For every 500 units of iPhone 17 series stock we received, only 10-20 pieces were Pro Models,” a Karnataka-based retailer said. Retailers are expecting a larger share of Pro models in the next supply lots, expected next week.
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