A recent TrendForce report highlights a notable surge in Apple’s iPhone manufacturing during the first quarter, despite rising memory prices that have affected the overall smartphone industry. Here are the key insights.
According to various sources, including Apple’s earnings reports and independent industry analyses, the iPhone 17 series has been surpassing expectations and outperforming the wider market trends.
The latest report from TrendForce provides additional evidence, indicating that Apple’s iPhone production increased by nearly 20% year-over-year in Q1, even as global smartphone production saw a 1.7% decline during the same period.
The data shows that while Samsung still leads as the world’s top smartphone producer, with a 2.3% growth resulting in approximately 62.6 million units produced, Apple secured the second spot with around 60.2 million units manufacturing during the quarter.
Apple’s impressive production performance has been driven by the launch of the iPhone 17e and an ongoing increase in production capacity for new models.
Furthermore, industry insights suggest Apple has been better insulated from the impacts of rising memory prices, largely because it has refrained from raising its prices amid the market shortages. The company has kept its pricing steady and has left the door open for potential future increases if the situation persists.
Looking forward, TrendForce estimates that worldwide smartphone production may decrease by about 16.2% year-over-year, reaching around 1.05 billion units in 2026. This decline could become more severe if memory prices stay high, prompting brands to hike retail prices further to compensate.