Apple sells more than 100 million 12 series iPhones within seven months of launch

Consumers preferred the most expensive version of the series - the iPhone 12 Pro Max, Counterpoint Research says

Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing Greg Joswiak unveils the all-new iPhone 12 Pro in Cupertino in October. Reuters

Apple sold more than 100 million iPhone 12 series iPhones within seven months of its launch, according to a new report.

Apple launched the iPhone 12 series, the company’s first 5G-enabled phones, in October last year as the competition for fifth-generation technology dominance heats up. The new models – the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max – were released at an event held online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The addition of the “5G capability and a full OLED” (organic light-emitting diode) screen – offering improved image quality, better contrast and higher brightness – attracted a greater number of customers, Singapore-based Counterpoint Research said in a new report.

“The series was able to achieve this feat in the seventh month after its launch [April], which is two months earlier than the iPhone 11 series and almost the same as the iPhone 6 series [launched in 2014] that helped Apple achieve its first volume super-cycle at the cusp of 4G transition,” Varun Mishra, a research analyst at Counterpoint Research, said.

Customers check a new iPhone at the Apple Store in Beijing. Reuters

“With the iPhone 12 series, Apple has achieved another volume super-cycle after six generations of iPhones at the cusp of 5G transition,” he added.

The average selling price for Apple phones hit at an all-time high, meaning the higher volumes of iPhone 12 series sales is also leading to a boom in revenue for the smartphone maker, Counterpoint said.

Apple’s net profit more than doubled in the company's fiscal 2021 second quarter that ended on March 27, as earnings across all categories of products reported double-digit growth. The Cupertino-based company’s net profit surged 110 per cent year-on-year to more than $23.6 billion.

In the UAE, the iPhone 12 mini and 12 models start from Dh2,999 ($816.50) and Dh3,399, respectively, but the iPhone 12 Pro costs Dh4,199 and the iPhone 12 Pro Max starts from Dh4,699.

There has also been a shift in model preferences between the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 series, the research company found.

Consumers preferred the top-of the range Pro Max version of the iPhone 12 series in the seven months after the series’ launch. Pro Max phones accounted for 29 per cent of iPhone sales, compared to 25 per cent for the same model of the iPhone 11 series.

“This is also one of the reasons for the iPhone 12 series grossing 22 per cent more revenue than the iPhone 11 series in the first seven months of its launch,” said Mr Mishra.