iPhone XR Accounted for an Estimated 32% of U.S. iPhone Sales in November

[MacRumors]

During the month of November, its first month of availability, the iPhone XR accounted for an estimated 32 percent of U.S. iPhone sales, according to new sales data shared today by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.

Comparatively, the iPhone XS and XS Max, Apple's more expensive iPhones, were responsible for 35 percent of sales combined.

The iPhone XR sold similarly to the iPhone X during its first month of availability in November 2017, but it did not match sales of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which were at 39 percent in November even after two months of availability.

Based on the initial sales, iPhone XR took the same share of iPhone sales as earlier models in their first month on the market," said Josh Lowitz, CIRP Partner and CoFounder. "Of course, comparisons are difficult, because of how Apple sequenced new model launches in the past two years. Last year, Apple launched the evolutionary iPhone 8 and 8 Plus first."

"This year, Apple launched the more expensive models earlier, presumably trying to catch early demand from the most loyal customers. The 32% share of iPhone sales for the XR model compares favorably to the 30% share for iPhone X in the similar timeframe last year, but lags the combined share of iPhone 8 and 8 Plus during that period last year. Then, the similarly-priced models accounted for 39% of units, and after they had been available for a month before the iPhone X was released."

According to CIRP, 82 percent of new iPhone buyers in November upgraded from an iPhone, while 16 percent upgraded from an Android phone. In November 2017, when the iPhone X launched, 86 percent upgraded from an iPhone while 11 percent upgraded from an Android device, suggesting the XR drew more switchers than the X did in the prior year.

CIRP's data was gathered from a survey of 165 Apple customers in the United States, which is not a large sample size, but it gives some insight into iPhone XR sales compared to sales of past devices because of the historical data CIRP has available from similar past surveys.

Article Link: iPhone XR Accounted for an Estimated 32% of U.S. iPhone Sales in November

 

[Bustycat]

In November most of estimates said iPhone XR is a failure.

 

[jonblatho]

Tiny sample size, but it looks like the mix of new vs. old iPhones is about the same as last year per this data, which starts to challenge the notion that Apple screwed up on pricing these things (as customers would theoretically be buying substantially more older iPhones). We just don’t know from this how many iPhones they sold altogether.

 

[jezbd1997]

I guess this really shows how expensive and unreasonable the iPhone Xs really is...

 

[dumastudetto]

I thought Apple was doomed?
Maybe not then.

 

[Scottsoapbox]

This coming quarterly report is going to be quite interesting as speculation is replaced with actual sales dollars.

I for one am glad I reduced my holdings in Apple earlier this year, but I am not quite confident enough to short it.

 

[jezbd1997]

I thought Apple was doomed?
Maybe not then.

It was a survey of only 165 people.. doesn’t tell us how little they actually sold

 

[simonmet]

Wasn’t it predicted to be much more than that, like much > 50%?

 

[Wiesenlooser]

What a crappy graphic / statistic.

 

[miflgr92]

I don’t know anyone with an XR but I saw one at the Apple Store the other day. I only played around with it for a few minutes but it seems like an awesome phone. Imho, I still believe the iPhone 8 Plus is the best phone currently offered in terms of features/pricing.

 

[MacManiac1]

I don’t know anyone with an XR but I saw one at the Apple Store the other day. I only played around with it for a few minutes but it seems like an awesome phone. Imho, I still believe the iPhone 8 Plus is the best phone currently offered in terms of features/pricing.

I traded in my iPhone 8 Plus for an XR. Still not sure why I did that. I miss the true optical zoom. The speed of the XR is great and the battery life is excellent, but not sure I would make the trade again.

 

[sinsin07]

I traded in my iPhone 8 Plus for an XR. Still not sure why I did that. I miss the true optical zoom. The speed of the XR is great and the battery life is excellent, but not sure I would make the trade again.

Reality Distortion Field capture complete.

 

[themacobserver]

CIRP's data was gathered from a survey of 165 Apple customers in the United States, which is not a large sample size

Aside from the title being completely misleading, conducting a survey of only 165 customers of the thousands if not millions that actually bought iPhones in November is just ridiculous. Who is supposed to take such a survey seriously?! It is "not a large sample size". True. It is completely irrelevant!

 

[rmoliv]

A sample of 165 customers tells us nothing. Not to be taken seriously.

 

[itsmilo]

lol at 165 customers ... i am sure if I’d pick 200 apple users in my class, about 2 would have an XR.

 

[McTool]

But they don’t sell.

 

[nexusrule]

A sample of 165 customers tells us nothing. Not to be taken seriously.

Study some statistics and then come back.

 

[Whathappened]

I really don’t get it, to me the xr is the new iPhone 4 - just great.

 

[ksec]

The most important here is %. Even if the % number were accurate, there is no way to count the if the base number had changed. i.e even if both Xr and 8/Plus were 35% during November, you do not know if the iPhone Sales number were the same. One could be 30M the other could be 20M.

 

[now i see it]

The SE was a solid performer. Not bad for a 2-1/2 year old phone. Or maybe that is bad...

 

[turbineseaplane]

Removed

XR Mini please!

 

[jonblatho]

Anybody else notice how big of a share the SE is still getting?

Apple: A lot of people want something smaller and cheaper...

I'm fine with it just being smaller, but both would be welcome.

XR Mini please!

What? The SE isn’t even shown in the 2018 graph. Look closely at the colors.

 

[turbineseaplane]

What? The SE isn’t even shown in the 2018 graph. Look closely at the colors.

Good point - haha
I still want a Mini

(edited above)

 

[Scottsoapbox]

In November most of estimates said iPhone XR is a failure.

It's cute how people don't understand the difference between % share of sales and unit sales. (Math is hard)

 

[5105973]

I traded in my iPhone 8 Plus for an XR. Still not sure why I did that. I miss the true optical zoom. The speed of the XR is great and the battery life is excellent, but not sure I would make the trade again.

I still have both. Your Xr is flat out going to be able to get more “keepers” in most commonly encountered challenging lighting situations than your 8Plus would have. You’d also be surprised to find out how often you were actually getting digital zoom rather than optical zoom on your 8 Plus photos, especially in less than optimal lighting. That’s something I didn’t realize myself for the longest time, until running across discussions on this forum and others. Yes, in bright outdoor lighting the 8 Plus zoom provides an advantage. But not as large as I thought it would be.

I’ve found the digital zoom on my Xr to provide good retention of detail in bright light. Sufficient that I don’t miss my 8Plus as a daily driver. Being able to get photos of kids and pets in low room light for me makes up for the lack of optical zoom. For now. I am looking forward to seeing future iterations is the Xr get a second lens.

8Plus display is better for ebook reading. For videos I found each to have pluses and minuses with me preferring my Xr, personally.