José Adorno/BGR

The iPhone has been around for almost two decades now. From the hype of the original model to its first redesign with the iPhone 4, bigger phones with the iPhone 6 lineup, and so many milestones, it's hard to predict when one iPhone will surpass the previous generation in sales. However, it seems that it's true with the recent iPhone 17 lineup.

In an interview with Financial Times, Apple CFO Kevan Parekh revealed that "The iPhone 17 family is now the most popular line-up in our history" and that the company believes it gained market share in Q2 2026. While the CFO didn't give specifics as to why, it's safe to assume that the redesign of the iPhone 17 Pro and the pro features added to the basic iPhone 17 have contributed to the success of the lineup.

Separately, Apple CEO Tim Cook told Reuters that demand for the lineup is "off the charts," and that despite the impressive sales, Apple is having a hard time getting more A19 series processors manufactured, in addition to the memory shortage that continues to impact Apple products and revenue. For example, the company is now selling a single configuration of the M3 Ultra Mac Studio, and reports suggest Apple might delay some releases due to the increased prices of RAM.

Wongsakorn 2468/Shutterstock

After smaller updates with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16, Apple did a remarkable job of making the iPhone 17 lineup a compelling upgrade. Looking at the regular model, the company doubled the minimum storage capacity from 128 GB to 256 GB, increased battery life, greatly improved the cameras (including an all-new 18 MP selfie shooter with a square aspect ratio), and added more capable chips. Two other important additions to the base model have been ProMotion, which has a higher refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, and always-on display, a feature that has been available for the Pro iPhone models since the iPhone 14 Pro.

The strength of the regular models may not have shown up in sales data until a little later, however, as early buyers seemed focused on the iPhone 17 Pro models at first. But that also makes sense, given that Apple made several improvements to its top-tier offerings in lineup as well. In addition to better battery life, an improved processor, and upgraded cameras, iPhone 17 Pro models went back to an aluminum design and added a vapor chamber that makes heat dissipation incredibly efficient with these models. Previously, when the processor would get too hot, the display would dim and the battery would drain faster. With the iPhone 17 Pro models, display dimming happens much less frequently and the battery is a lot more consistent.

In short, compared to their predecessors, the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max are significant upgrades with a clearer value proposition than years past. Apple was able to do a remarkable job with this generation, and that is translating into successful sales.

José Adorno/BGR

In addition to the iPhone 17 series taking such a clear step forward, there are reasons for buyers to be focused on Apple's current lineup instead of looking ahead to the next generation. For one, Apple's rumored iPhone roadmap shows a new release cycle for its base-model smartphones, with the company purportedly set to introduce the standard iPhone 18 in early 2027 instead of late 2026. With this change, Apple could focus on the Pro and Foldable models in late 2026, then give the base model iPhones their own stage a few months later.

A staggered iPhone 18 release cycle could also help with several other factors, from making the iPhone 17 cycle a lot stronger to giving the company more time to deal with the current AI-driven RAM shortage. Additionally, there are several rumors suggesting the iPhone 18 won't be a major upgrade compared to the iPhone 17, with Apple potentially narrowing the gap between its base-model flagship and the more budget-friendly iPhone 18e by using cheaper materials in the former and possibly removing MagSafe.

Even though rumors suggest Apple will add its own 5G modem to all iPhone 18 models, support 5G over satellite, and include a few other perks, everything points to the next models not being as big of an upgrade as the iPhone 17 series has been. The company seems focused on selling as many iPhone 17 models as it can, as Singles' Day in China and Black Friday in the U.S. — both in November — would contribute another round of sales for the iPhone 17. Besides that, with many software improvements expected to arrive with iOS 27, the current generation of iPhones will only look better, and users will still have several years of upgrades ahead.