Apple enjoys 'brisk' iPhone sales in China, double-digit growth expected

"Brisk" sales were powered by the iPhone 11 and 12, including the new purple color.

What you need to know

• Apple reportedly enjoyed "brisk" iPhone sales in China last month.
• Digitimes says the company sold 2.7 million units last month, about 10% of the market share.
• That's up from 8% the month before, and more growth is on the way.

A new report says Apple sold 2.7 million iPhones in China last month, enjoying "brisk" sales of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12, including Apple's latest new purple color.

From Digitimes:

Apple's iPhone 12 and iPhone 11 series products, including a new color of iPhone 12 mini, enjoyed brisk sales in China in April, totaling 2.7 million units or 10% of the market share, up from 8% seen a month earlier.

Looking ahead, the report cites observer estimations stating Apple's shipments of iPhones in China "are likely to grow by a double-digit rate on year to 8-8.5 million units in the second quarter of 2021."

For context, the report says that in the first four months of 2021 91.27 million 5G smartphones were shipped in China, with cumulative shipments expected to break 100 million through May. April's figures in China were down 34% on the same month last year, but the overall total for the first four months is up 39% on 2020.

Apple announced the aforementioned purple iPhone 12 at its Spring Loaded April event, and according to this latest report, the new color is proving quite popular. From the announcement:

"The incredible iPhone 12 is the most popular smartphone in the world, and the iPhone 12 family has an over 99 percent customer satisfaction rate. The new purple finish, just in time for spring, adds another bright and fun option to the lineup, and we think customers are going to love it ... This gorgeous new color joins the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini family, which is available in five other stunning finishes, and features an advanced dual-camera system, Super Retina XDR display, improved durability, A14 Bionic — the fastest chip ever in a smartphone — great battery life, and the best 5G experience on any smartphone."