Standard iPhone 17 Sees The Longest Shipment Delay Since The iPhone 11 - Here's How Long You Have To Wait

The iPhone 17 series started selling online on Friday, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max sold out in a matter of minutes, which wasn't surprising to any longtime iPhone user or industry watcher. Apple's most expensive iPhones are usually the ones that sell out the fastest during preorders. By Monday, other models were sold out online, including the standard iPhone 17, certain iPhone 17 Pros, and versions of the iPhone Air. Several reports pointed out the strong sales of the iPhone 17 series, including a Bank of America (BofA) research note that says the standard iPhone 17 is seeing the longest shipment delay since the iPhone 11, which was launched in 2019. According to BofA, iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models had higher ship times on September 15 than last year at this point in the pre-order cycle.

Globally, the iPhone 17 Pro has an average ship time of 18 days, compared to 14 days for the iPhone 16 Pro. The iPhone 17 Pro Max wait times are at 25 days, compared to 23 days for its predecessor. Finally, BofA noted that the average wait time for the standard iPhone 17 is 19 days, up from 10 days for last year's base iPhone. That's "healthy demand," according to the analysts. Chinese buyers might have to wait even longer, with BofA noting that the iPhone 17 Pro deliveries have a 25-day wait time, a week longer than other regions.

BofA isn't the only source signaling strong demand for the iPhone 17 series, and the standard iPhone in particular. Others pointed out signs of strong demand before BofA did. Well-known insider UniverseIce suggested last Thursday the iPhone 17 series will sell very well in China, with 5 million reservations having been registered with local stores before preorders started. 

The iPhone 17 series has just been released, and the number of reservations on one of the e-commerce platforms in China is amazing, with more than 5 million people making reservations.
I'm not a pessimist, but this time, I think iPhone 17 basically announced the premature death... pic.twitter.com/Axzoz6IfGa

— PhoneArt (@UniverseIce) September 11, 2025

Then, The South China Morning Post reported on Saturday that demand for the iPhone 17 series was higher than the iPhone 16 series in China during the first day of preorders. The report singled out the standard iPhone 17 as the most popular variant. The iPhone Air is not available in China, due to local regulations around eSIM-only phones.

iPhone 17 Series First-Weekend Preorder Takeaways:

1. Conclusion: First-weekend preorder demand for the iPhone 17 lineup outpaced last year's iPhone 16.

2. For the Pro Max, Pro, and standard models, planned 3Q25 production is about 25% higher YoY, while estimated delivery lead...

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) September 15, 2025

On Monday, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo offered the same conclusion about the latest lineup outperforming last year's iPhone 16 series in preorders. Kuo highlighted the strong demand for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max and noted that Apple has planned a production increase of 25% for the three models combined compared to their predecessors.

Before preorders started on Friday, we explained why the standard iPhone 17 might be the phone to buy for most people this year. Apple gave the base model a few key upgrades that turn it into an iPhone Pro device. The 120Hz ProMotion display with Ceramic Shield glass, the dual camera (two 48-megapixel sensors), the A19 chip, and the long battery life are a few of the highlights that make the base iPhone 17 a better proposition than its predecessor. Factoring in the same $799 starting price for a device that comes with double the storage (256GB), the iPhone 17 becomes a great choice.

We checked the delivery estimates on Apple.com for the three iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air. As of Tuesday morning, only certain Air versions can be preordered online with a guaranteed September 19 delivery date (Sky Blue, Light Gold, and Black). All other models show wait times in line with BofA's findings:

• iPhone 17 – 2-3 weeks (14-21 days) for all colors (Lavender, Sage, Mist Blue, White, and Black) and storage options (256GB and 512GB)
• iPhone 17 Pro – 2-3 weeks (14-21 days) for all colors (Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue) and storage options (256GB, 512GB, and 1TB)
• iPhone 17 Pro Max – 3-4 weeks (21-28 days) for all colors (Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue) and storage options (256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB)
• iPhone Air – 2-3 weeks (14-21 days) for the Cloud White model in all storage options (256GB, 512GB, and 1TB); 7-10 days for the 256GB Light Gold model