Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone 17 became available for pre-order this week and analysts believe there is strong consumer interest for the new smartphone line, despite some concerns related to the iPhone Air.
Shares rose 1% in premarket trading.
“We believe that iPhone 17 pre-orders will be up 5-10% vs. last year as we estimate that roughly 20% of the 1.5 billion users worldwide have not upgraded their phones over the past 4 years speaking to this massive upgrade opportunity on the horizon for Cupertino as [Tim] Cook & Co. looks to leverage the largest consumer installed base in the world,” Wedbush Securities analysts, led by Dan Ives, wrote in a note to clients.
“While the skeptics and bears around iPhone 17 will point to the lack of Apple Intelligence features initially, we believe Apple themselves are focused on driving a robust upgrade cycle into year-end following launch of 4 new iPhone models and all models going on sale this weekend.”
The firm maintained its Outperform rating and $270 price target on Apple.
TF International Securities’ analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also noted strong demand for the iPhone 17 line, as he believes there were more consumers interest in this year’s lineup than last year’s.
“The iPhone 17 series’ pre-order performance is better than last year, which is favorable for Apple’s 3Q25 financial results,” Kuo wrote in a post on X.
One wild card is the iPhone Air, which received plenty of pre-release hype and high praise from the media during the event. However, deliveries of the thin smartphone to China are on pause, amid regulator concern over its eSIM card.
Analysts at Wedbush believe this is nothing more than a “near-term hiccup” for Apple, as the company is working to make sure the device is available “quickly” at China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom.
“While this is a near-term hiccup with AAPL’s much anticipated new model release, we believe that AAPL will gain regulatory approval soon to sell its high-demand product into this marquee region with [Tim] Cook acting as 10% politician and 90% CEO to ensure Cupertino is in smoother waters moving forward,” Wedbush analysts posted.
Additionally, Kuo said he believes the iPhone Air is a device that must be seen in person to fully appreciate it.
“I subjectively believe that the iPhone Air is the kind of product that might not spark interest in purchasing when just looking at the specs online, but after actually getting hands-on with it in a store, one might feel motivated to buy,” Kuo posited.
Apple unveiled its latest line of iPhones earlier this month, including the new slimmer iPhone Air, which starts at $999.