Apple's iPhone 17 series has captured 79% of the company's smartphone sales during the nine months ending June 2026, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).
The figure marks a significant increase from 70% in the same period ending June 2025 and 67% in the period ending June 2024.
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Apple restructured its retail strategy with the launch of the iPhone 17 series in September 2025.
The lineup includes four flagship variants: the base, Pro, Pro Max, and a new slim iPhone Air model, which replaced the previous Plus tier.
The entry-level iPhone 17e arrived on March 11, 2026. Legacy hardware is now limited to the 2024 iPhone 16 and 16 Plus models.
CIRP research indicates that reducing the active catalog from nearly a dozen older devices successfully directed consumer demand toward Apple's latest hardware and higher-tier models.
This move returns the company closer to its historical product simplicity model.
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Base iPhone 18 Launch Expected in Early 2027
As demand concentrates on current offerings, market expectations for the next generation have shifted.
Prediction market contracts on Kalshi show diminished expectations for an early launch of the standard iPhone 18.
Probability prices have dropped to 12 cents for a release before October 2026 and 18 cents before year-end.
Reports indicate that Apple has pushed back the public rollout of the standard base iPhone 18 and entry-level iPhone 18e models to early 2027.
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Consequently, Apple's late 2026 hardware releases are expected to focus on the high-end iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max versions, priced between $1,250 and $1,400 USD.
