Apple shipped 29 million iPhone X units in the fourth quarter of 2017, Singapore-based market research firm Canalys has said, adding that this has made iPhone X the world's best-shipping smartphone model over the holiday season.
"Another notable highlight for the iPhone X is that of the 29 million shipped, seven million were in China," Canalys said late on Tuesday.
The iPhone X performance is impressive for a device priced at $999, but it is slightly below industry expectations. Apple struggled with supply issues in early November (2017), but achieved a massive uplift in production in late November and throughout December. This helped it meet and even exceed demand in some markets by the end of the quarter.Ben Stanton, Analyst, Canalys
One major benefit to Apple is that customers are increasingly realising the residual value of their old smartphones, opting for trade-in programmes to offset the high price of the iPhone X.
But that big price tag, and Apple’s split launch strategy, still had an impact, and shipments were not the fastest ever for an iPhone.Ben Stanton, Analyst, Canalys
Apple is looking at its best performance to date, all thanks to the massive changes it made to its portfolio in Q3. While new technologies, such as Face ID and bezel-less displays, help to justify the $999 price tag and maintain competitiveness with Samsung, Huawei and Google, having a larger portfolio allows Apple to meet its overall shipment targets.TuanAnh Nguyen, Analyst, Canalys
According to Kuo, analysts estimates have revised down Q1 ‘18 and Q2 ‘18 shipments of iPhone X to 18 million units and 13 million units, respectively, lower than market consensus of 20-30 million and 15-20 million units.
Also Read: Apple To Discontinue iPhone X After 2018 Models are Launched?
This is likely to have prompted other analysts like Ming Chi-Kuo to claim that iPhone X has failed to light up demand in a market like China, with many uncertain about the ‘notch’ on top of the screen of iPhone X. And all this could mean the end of iPhone X’s life cycle in 2018, when the new versions are announced.
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