iPhone 8 Production Said to Drop Significantly Given Popularity of iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X

With fewer major selling points and given a consumer preference for the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects iPhone 8 production to see a 50-60 percent sequential decline this quarter.

iphone x vs 8 compare
In his latest research note for KGI Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo said the lower-than-expected iPhone 8 demand could result in fewer orders for Apple supplier Pegatron, which assembles the iPhone 8 in Taiwan.

Pegatron — iPhone 8 production to decline 50-60% QoQ in 1Q18F on lower-than-expected demand: With fewer major selling points and given a consumer preference for iPhone 8 Plus on a limited price gap, we expect iPhone 8 production orders to see 50-60% QoQ decline in 1Q18F, potentially shrinking Pegatron's utilization rate. But considering new iPhone orders may become more diverse (compared with a single model of iPhone 8 in 2H17), and assuming the new models will come with more compelling features than iPhone 8, we are positive on Pegatron's growth momentum in 2H18F.

Just this week, research firm Canalys said the iPhone 8 Plus outpaced the iPhone 8 last quarter with shipments of 6.3 million units versus 5.4 million units respectively. Canalys said the iPhone 8 Plus is the first Plus-sized iPhone to out-ship its smaller 4.7-inch sibling in a single quarter.

Apple doesn't disclose iPhone sales on a model-by-model basis, but chief executive Tim Cook said the iPhone 8 Plus has "gotten off to the fastest start of any Plus model," which came as "a bit of a surprise" to the company.

Kuo remains positive about iPhone X demand, and estimates production will rise 35-45 percent this quarter compared to last quarter, which should help to alleviate supply constraints heading into the holiday shopping season. The device still has a 3-4 week shipping delay online, with limited in-store availability.

Kuo said Apple's primary manufacturer Foxconn will convert its iPhone 8 Plus production lines into iPhone X lines in late 2017 to fulfill additional orders. Still, Apple is unlikely to achieve supply-demand balance until 2018.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
terminal macos tahoe

Apple's Terminal App Gets Colorful Redesign in macOS Tahoe

Monday June 16, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's Terminal app is getting a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it's the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted. The updated Terminal will support 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, according to Apple's State of the Platforms presentation at WWDC25. The app will also adopt the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26's broader...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
iOS 26 Feature

Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue

Friday June 13, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an...

Top Rated Comments

Avieshek Avatar
99 months ago
Back to having one model only. One Size, One Storage, One Price.

Back to Steve Jobs' Simplification. The reality is the pricing than options withholding people, 2nd-hand or older models are bringing transparency to the very fact.
Bring back the 17" MacBook, price it same as the smaller screen sizes, than look at the response. iPad Air & iPad Pro-Pra-Pre-Pru is illogical nonsense for profitary greed. In addition, just have one storage tier but of maximum capacity affordable by the technological limitations of the time, ex- the Classic iPod is classic for a reason.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sniffies Avatar
99 months ago
Wait till iPhone X Plus next year though...
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iName Avatar
99 months ago
As they should. Wouldn’t make sense for it be have the same production level as something much higher in demand.

Honestly if you’re in the market for the 8 save yourself the extra $120 and get a 7 instead. The differences are basically nonexistent.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djcerla Avatar
99 months ago
Ming-Chi Kuo greatly dropped the ball with multiple reports of “iPhone X production problems” that would render the device “unavailable until February”.

No longer a reliable source.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iapplelove Avatar
99 months ago
Not so sure . The X price point and moving away from touchid is not for everyone . The iPhone 8 is a very nice unit

Just can't see people deciding to get a X over the 8 all the sudden.... it's £300 more..... that is a very large amount .
Trust me, Face ID is everything Apple said it would be but better. No need to be afraid anymore lol
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fokmik Avatar
99 months ago
Its normal since the X is the future of the normal iPhone ! The future of the Plus is coming next year
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)