iPhone demand and refurb numbers

Apple’s iPhone shipments in China rose 20% in the first quarter of 2026, even as the country’s overall smartphone market shrank. (counterpointresearch.com) Counterpoint Research said China smartphone shipments fell 4% year over year from January through March, while Apple posted the fastest growth among the top six brands. Huawei led the market with a 20% share, and Apple ranked second with 19%. (counterpointresearch.com) (usnews.com) Counterpoint said Apple’s gain came from strong iPhone 17 sales, promotional price cuts, and Chinese government subsidies. Senior Analyst Ivan Lam said rising memory costs pushed up handset prices across the market and limited the effect of Lunar New Year discounts. (counterpointresearch.com) The China numbers arrived one day after Apple used its annual environmental update to spotlight a different part of the iPhone business: keeping devices in use longer. Apple said 30% of the material in products it shipped in 2025 came from recycled content, its highest share yet. (apple.com) Apple also refurbished and resold 15.6 million devices and accessories in 2025, according to its latest environmental reporting. The company ties that effort to its Apple 2030 plan, which targets carbon neutrality across its footprint by the end of the decade. (moneycontrol.com) (apple.com) For Earth Day, Apple launched a U.S. in-store promotion that gives customers 10% off selected accessories when they recycle an eligible device. The offer began April 16 and runs through May 16 at brick-and-mortar Apple Stores. (apple.com) Apple’s April 16 newsroom post said the Earth Day offer covers customers who bring devices in for recycling at participating stores. The same update said Apple’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2025 stayed more than 60% below 2015 levels, even with business growth. (apple.com) The two updates point to the same pressure point for Apple in 2026: sell more premium phones in a tougher China market, while extracting more revenue and materials from devices already in circulation. In China, Counterpoint said memory shortages and higher component costs are expected to keep pressuring the market through the second quarter. (counterpointresearch.com)