Report: iPhone production grew 20% in Q1, countering global dip

Source Domain: 9to5mac.com

A new TrendForce report shows Apple’s iPhone production growing sharply in Q1, even as rising memory costs put pressure on the broader smartphone market. Here are the details.

Apple counters global smartphone production dip

From Apple’s quarterly results to independent industry reports, the notion that the iPhone 17 lineup has been outperforming both Apple’s expectations and the broader market has been well documented.

Now, a new TrendForce report adds another data point, showing that Apple saw a 19.7% year-over-year increase in iPhone production in Q1, while global smartphone production declined 1.7% during the same period.

TrendForce says that while “Samsung remained the world’s largest smartphone producer,” with a 2.3% production increase year-over-year that resulted in “approximately 62.6 million” output units, “Apple ranked second with its production of approximately 60.2 million units during the quarter”.

The report also notes that Apple’s standout performance was helped by the launch of the iPhone 17e, in addition to “ongoing production ramp-up for new iPhone models.”

TrendForce also echoed past industry reports that found Apple was better positioned to protect its margins amid the market-wide memory price increases. Apple is one of the few smartphone manufacturers that hasn’t raised prices since the shortage started, and hasn’t ruled out price increases in the future, if things don’t let up.

Looking ahead, the report says global smartphone production is expected to “decline approximately 16.2% YoY to 1.051 billion units in 2026,” adding that the decline “could become even more pronounced if memory price increases remain elevated and brands are forced to raise retail prices repeatedly.”

You can read TrendForce’s full report here.