Apple made 11% more money on the iPhone 17 series than on the iPhone 16 series in its first year. According to Counterpoint, the iPhone 17 series has reached a record $170 billion in its first year of sales. Keep in mind, the iPhone 17 will continue to be sold as the latest base model for another six months.
Counterpoint also reports that the iPhone 17 base model’s revenue grew by 1.3x over its predecessor; this is impressive given that the iPhone 17 did not increase in price but did double the storage. It was also the world’s best-selling smartphone for the first half of 2026. China was the largest driver of revenue growth for the iPhone 17 series, followed by Japan and other emerging markets.
According to Counterpoint’s Research Director, Tarun Pathak, the “iPhone 17 series stands out as Apple’s strongest lineup in years, with the base model inheriting features once reserved for Pro variants and the 17 Pro series delivering powerful Apple Silicon, a standout camera system, impressive design, and greater choice in color, material, and finish.”
Counterpoint expects the next iPhone cycle to further boost Apple’s smartphone business, with the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Duo to be announced today in Cupertino. The base iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e are set to be announced in the Spring.
Each year, iPhone revenue gets bigger and bigger
Every year, according to this graph, revenue from each iPhone series increases. There were some pretty big jumps from the iPhone 11 to the iPhone 12 to the iPhone 13. Then the iPhone 14 dropped off a little before the iPhone 15 launched. Surprisingly, the iPhone 16 barely surpassed the iPhone 15 revenue.
This really shows that when Apple does decide to make some good upgrades that people have been wanting, people will buy the phones.
