Apple led China’s smartphone market in Week 38 as iPhone 18 Pro series sales rose 12% year over year during their first three days on sale, giving the company a 33% market share despite a broader downturn in handset demand. Counterpoint Research said the delayed base iPhone 18 launch and price increases of more than $200 for many Chinese flagship phones supported trade-ups to Apple’s premium models. Deepwater Asset Management Managing Partner Gene Munster said Pro-model delivery lead times across eight countries were 15% longer than a year earlier, suggesting consumers are buying premium devices rather than waiting for the base model in spring 2027. He said consensus fiscal 2027 iPhone revenue estimates of $9.5 billion were 10% too low and projected that the foldable iPhone Duo could account for 8% of units and 14% of iPhone revenue next year. Apple shares were down 0.06% at $329.19 in Wednesday premarket trading after previously falling 3% to around $329.