Apple’s iPhone XS Max is selling a lot better than XS, report claims

Apple’s 6.5-inch iPhone, the XS Max, is absolutely crushing its smaller sibling in sales. 

This is according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, as related by MacRumors. Kuo claims the XS Max is outselling the XS by “three to four” times, and that the demand for the big new iPhone is “better than expected.”

According to Kuo’s sources, the gold and space gray colors are significantly more popular than the silver color, and the 256GB model is the most popular option, with the 512GB variant being subject to “serious shortage” as Samsung is the only supplier for NAND Flash chips with this capacity. 

This tells us nothing about the overall demand for the new iPhones, but it’s still interesting to see that the XS Max is selling so much better than the XS, despite being the most expensive iPhone ever. 

Interestingly, Kuo believes the iPhone XS Max will actually keep growing in the fourth quarter of 2018 due to Asia’s gift season kicking in. 

Kuo also said Apple Watch Series 4 demand is “better than expected,” with supply being tight until November. He expects Apple to ship 18.5 to 19.5 million units in 2018. 

Finally, Kuo believes that the iPhone XR, which starts shipping in October, will also sell well. The reported supply issues that pushed the XR’s launch date to a month after the XS models, though? Those will be gone in “mid to late” October, says Kuo.