The tech giant Apple is causing a stir: new figures indicate a surprising development surrounding the new iPhone 17.
• Apple is heading for record deliveries in 2025
• Apple could overtake Samsung for the first time in years
• Is Apple’s annual release cycle about to break?
This is how Apple’s business developed in 2025 – and this is what is expected for the tech group in 2026.
Record shipments of the iPhone 17
Research firm IDC predicts record levels of iPhone shipments for Apple in 2025. The drivers are the smartphone manufacturer’s latest model and a revival of the important market in China, according to a CNBC report.
Accordingly, Apple is expected to deliver 247.4 million iPhones in 2025 – an increase of just over 6 percent compared to the previous year. This would even surpass the 236 million devices from 2021, when the iPhone 13 was launched, the report continued.
According to Nabila Popal, senior research director at IDC, Apple owes the forecast upswing primarily to the strong performance of the latest iPhone model. There is also high demand for the iPhone 17 in China, which further supports the company’s business development, Popal continued. Since sales began in September 2025, the iPhone 17 series has proven to be a central product line for investors.
Apple under competitive pressure
In China, Apple faces strong competition and is under pressure to expand its artificial intelligence strategy as Android product makers are technologically ahead. As a result, local providers such as Huawei were able to gain market share from Apple in China.
Outlook: market shares and growth
Apple’s shipments in China are expected to rise 17 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to IDC. Accordingly, the research company expects market growth of 3 percent for the full year 2025 instead of a previously expected decline of 1 percent.
According to the news portal, the IDC report follows an analysis by Counterpoint Research from the end of November 2025. This had predicted that Apple would deliver more smartphones than Samsung in 2025 for the first time in 14 years.
Apparently Apple is convincing with the latest iPhone model not only in China, but also in the US market. According to analysts, the high sales figures could be due to the fact that many buyers who bought a smartphone during the corona pandemic are now switching to a newer model, according to CHIP. Apple also benefits from an easing of the trade dispute between China and the USA.
Will there be no new iPhone in 2026?
Bloomberg reported in November 2025 that Apple may delay the release of the base model of its next device, the iPhone 18, until 2027.
Such a step would break the current cycle in which Apple presents its iPhone models every fall. IDC said this could cause Apple’s shipments to decline by 4.2 percent the following year.
In 2026, Apple is also expected to bring a cheaper model of the iPhone 17 series – the iPhone 17e – onto the market. A foldable iPhone is also expected for the first time. Both innovations are intended to expand the portfolio and strengthen the group’s market position.
Editorial team finanzen.net
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