China gives Apple ‘best iPhone quarter in history’ with 38% revenue growth
Sharp recovery is a ‘most surprising result’ amid ‘aggressive competition from domestic brands like Huawei’, IDC analyst says
China has emerged as the brightest spot in Apple’s quarterly earnings, as the US tech giant achieved record iPhone revenue in the world’s largest smartphone market.
Revenue in Apple’s Greater China region, which comprises mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, surged 38 per cent from a year earlier in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, which ended December 27, the Cupertino-based company said on Friday.
That growth, more than double the company’s overall 16 per cent quarterly revenue increase, also marked Apple’s strongest performance in China since late 2021.
“It was the best iPhone quarter in history in Greater China,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said during an earnings call. He attributed the performance to “customer enthusiasm for the iPhone 17 line-up”.
During the quarter, traffic in Apple stores in China grew by strong double digits from a year earlier, while the company’s installed base reached an all-time high in both Greater China and mainland China, according to Cook, who described the past quarter as “terrific”.
The latest sales surge reflects how Apple’s efforts in the world’s largest smartphone market have paid off, despite sluggish consumer sentiment in the domestic market, as well as mounting pressure on the consumer-electronics supply chain from a memory-chip shortage.