Counterpoint Research estimated that worldwide sales of the iPhone 18 Pro series were up 3.1% year over year in the first three weeks after its September 2026 launch. The comparison matched sales of iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max against the iPhone 17 Pro series over its own first three weeks. China accounted for most of the increase, with sales up 29%, according to Counterpoint’s Smartphone Weekly Sales Tracker, published October 27, 2026.

What Counterpoint measured

The tracker’s result is a year-over-year estimate for the Pro series during the opening three weeks after launch. It does not cover every iPhone model or later sales periods. This worldwide comparison is broader than NeoTeo’s earlier coverage of iPhone 18 Pro sales in China, which focused on a China sales estimate.

China led while the U.S. and Japan declined

Counterpoint reported a 29% year-over-year increase in China, which it said accounted for most of the global gain. It also reported declines in the United States and Japan. Negocios put the U.S. decline for the new Pro family at 4% and reported a 27% decline for iPhone 18 Pro sales in Japan. The global increase and those market declines fit the same mixed regional picture: China’s result drove most of the worldwide gain.

The Pro Max share of Pro-series sales

The iPhone 18 Pro Max represented 56% of sales within the iPhone 18 Pro series, compared with 57% for the equivalent model in the previous launch. That share describes the mix between Pro and Pro Max within the series.

Counterpoint’s explanation and next measure

Counterpoint pointed to smoother early supply in China than during the previous launch and higher prices for competing Chinese Android flagships as factors behind China’s result. For the U.S., the firm said higher prices and consumers’ limited perception of meaningful feature or design improvements weighed on demand. It attributed Japan’s weaker performance in part to exchange rates amplifying price increases. These are Counterpoint’s explanations for the pattern.

Associate Director Sujeong Lim said subsequent weeks would help show whether China’s stronger result reflected lasting demand or buying concentrated around launch. Research Director Tarun Pathak said Counterpoint was tracking sales beyond the usual launch-window spike to assess demand for the holiday quarter.