Apple has reportedly raised iPhone 18 Pro Max orders by 10% to 15% and cut iPhone 18 Pro orders by the same margin, leaving its total Pro order volume unchanged.
Key Points:
- Apple reportedly shifted part of its Pro orders to the pricier Pro Max model.
- Analysts say buyers skipping the delayed base iPhone 18 may be trading up.
- The report clashes with earlier claims that Apple cut orders for both Pro phones.
iPhone 18 Pro Max Orders
Chinese financial daily Securities Times reported the change on Oct. 10, citing a source in Apple's supply chain. The same source said Apple also raised orders for its foldable iPhone Duo by 30%, though Duo supply for the rest of 2026 still won't top 10 million units.
The Pro Max starts at $1,299, or $100 more than the $1,199 Pro, so every unit moved to the larger model carries a higher price tag. The source said sales were tilting toward higher-value products, which should lift earnings across Apple's supplier base. That picture conflicts with earlier reports.
Last week, Nikkei Asia said Apple told some suppliers to cut October component orders for both Pro phones by at least 15%, blaming soft demand after a $100 price increase.
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Gene Munster's Take
Gene Munster, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management, wrote on Oct. 9 that iPhone 18 Pro delivery lead times had fallen 31% below last year's level at the same point in the cycle. Pro Max lead times, by contrast, ran 1% longer. He also expects the Duo, which opens for pre-orders Oct. 16, to sell close to 20 million units in its first year.
He offered one explanation for the gap. Shoppers who would normally pick the standard iPhone 18 may be buying a Pro or Pro Max instead, because the base model won't ship until next spring.
Counterpoint Research senior analyst Ivan Lam said the delayed iPhone 18 may have pushed some buyers in China to trade up, after Pro series sales there opened 12% above the prior generation.
A Chinese tipster known as Digital Chat Station claimed the Pro Max made up about two-thirds of Pro activations in China during the early October holiday week. Apple does not publish sales by model.
Early readings on the lineup have swung back and forth since launch. In mid-September, GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu called initial wait times lukewarm, lowered his Pro and Pro Max build estimate to 72 million units and predicted some Pro Max buyers would hold out for the Duo.
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