Amid reports that Apple’s iPhone XS models are selling briskly, the impending launch of the iPhone XR has the potential to take iPhone sales to the next level, according to a new investor note from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacRumors). Specifically, Kuo writes that demand for the iPhone XR is shaping up to be higher than initial estimates.
Consequently, Kuo now anticipates that Apple during the 2018 holiday quarter may sell upwards of 38 million iPhone XR units and as many as 80 million iPhone units overall. As a point of reference, Apple during the 2017 holiday quarter sold 77.3 million iPhones. Incidentally, the quarterly record for iPhone sales was back during the 2016 holiday quarter and checks in at 78.2 million units. In short, Apple’s December quarter could very well be a record-breaking quarter.
The notion that iPhone XR sales will spur an avalanche of upgrades shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. In contrast to last year’s iPhone 8, the iPhone XR offers potential upgraders a brand new form factor at a relatively reasonable price. What’s more, the main distinction between the iPhone XR and the more premium iPhone XS models is that the XR ships with an LCD display as opposed to an OLED display.
One other difference is that the iPhone XR doesn’t include 3D Touch, a feature that, while nice, is far from a deal-breaker. In other words, the iPhone XR offers up a lot of bang for the buck relative to previous iPhone releases.
Despite Apple’s best efforts, the iPhone XR did not launch alongside the company’s XS models. For folks interested in the XR, you’ll want to remember pre-orders are slated to open up on October 19th, with deliveries set to begin just one week later on October 26th.
