iPhone 12 Pro, Pro Max, to drive 50% increase in Q1 smartphone shipments

Iphone 12 Pro Review
Iphone 12 Pro Review (Image credit: Daniel Bader / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • New research suggests the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max could drive a 50% surge in Q1 smartphone shipments.
  • Apple is expected to ship 60 million units in the first quarter of 2021.

A new report says Apple will likely ship 60 million iPhones in Q1 of 2021, as demand for the iPhone 12 Pro could drive smartphone shipments up by 50%.

From Digitimes:

Global smartphone shipments are likely to grow nearly 50% on year to 340 million units in the first quarter of 2021, driven by robust sales of Apple's iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone Pro Max as well as a ramp-up in shipments by Chinese brands to grab the market share relinquished by Huawei, according to Digitimes Research.Apple's iPhone shipments are expected to total over 60 million units in first-quarter 2021, having seen such shipments reach over 90 million units a quarter earlier, Digitimes Research estimates.

Digitimes estimates Apple will be the number one vendor over a period of six months ending on March 31, 2021, shipping over 150 million iPhones, more than 38% more than the same period last year.

At its earnings call in January, Apple noted it had seen a record number of device activations in Q1 of 2021. From that report:

During today's Q1 earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook opened with Apple's record-breaking first quarter where Apple posted revenue exceeding $110 billion. Among other things discussed during the call, Cook also mentioned that the company saw the largest number of device activations ever during the quarter.While touching on the success of the holiday season, Cook said that "we had a record number of device activations during the last week of the quarter.""The winter holiday season is always a busy time for us and our products, but this year was unique. We had a record number of device activations during the last week of the quarter."

The latest figures from Digitimes echo industry consensus that Apple's iPhone 12 launch has been a smash-hit with customers despite weak iPhone 12 mini demand.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9