After a tough start to the year, the iPhone business is showing signs of recovery, especially in China, where local brands have recently outperformed Apple benefiting from an aggressive government-backed subsidy plan. Here is the latest data.
the New report from Counterpoint Research (via MacRumors) says iPhone sales grew 15% year over year during April and May, representing Apple’s strongest performance at this time of year since the pandemic.
It’s a sharp rebound driven by renewed demand in both the US and China, two markets that, for better or worse, continue to make or break quarterly iPhone numbers.
The United States, China, India and Japan led the group
In China, Apple was able to regain the top spot in May, months after losing to Huawei and other local brands that benefited from a strong mix of promotional discounts and government-backed subsidies.
Meanwhile, in the US, Counterpoint analyst Evan Lam noted that the sales increase may partly reflect a rush by consumers to buy iPhones ahead of potential new tariffs. The April-May period occurred amid renewed trade war tensions, which could have prompted some buyers to move sooner than planned. However, Lam said that “iPhone’s performance in the second quarter looks promising at the moment.”
Elsewhere, while India continued its steady rise, thanks to Apple’s renewed interest and investment in the country, Japan also showed strong iPhone growth, with the iPhone 16e in particular striking a chord with consumers thanks to its smaller form factor and lower price.
As for AI, Counterpoint says it’s not really driving things at the moment. Analyst Jeff Feldhake noted that “proxy AI” is still not a factor in most smartphone purchasing decisions. This, in turn, gives Apple more breathing room as it works to bring Apple’s intelligence and more capable Siri up to speed throughout 2025, 2026 and (of course) beyond.
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