iPhone 17 Demand Is Stronger Than Expected: Which New iPhones Are Still Sold Out?
Three of the four new iPhone models Apple unveiled on September 9 have been sold out online since the preorder period. Apple ran out of iPhone 17 Pro Max stock within 15 minutes on September 12, the first day of preorders. By the following Monday, the iPhone 17 Pro and standard iPhone 17 models were sold out. The iPhone Air remained generally available. BGR's checks on September 26, a week after the new iPhones started selling in retail stores, showed that supply was significantly constrained in North America, Europe, and Asia for three iPhone 17 models, while the iPhone Air was generally available.
Since then, Morgan Stanley has released a research note that says the new iPhones have seen demand that was "modestly stronger than we originally expected," with the ultra-slim iPhone Air being the only exception. Per MacRumors, the analysts looked at the shipping delay estimates for the new iPhones combined with data from unidentified Apple supply chain companies.
"Our supply chain checks suggest an iPhone 17 build increase is likely imminent," Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring said in the note. Apple's supply chain will reportedly increase production to more than 90 million iPhones, up from the previous expectation of 84 million to 86 million. The Morgan Stanley report seems to echo the findings of Bank of America analysts. They said during the preorder phase that the standard iPhone (the iPhone 17) had not seen similar demand since the launched of the iPhone 11 in 2019.
Which iPhone 17 models are still sold out?
Our findings last week showed that the iPhone 17 Pro had an average delivery wait time of 2-3 weeks in several markets, including the U.S., Canada, European countries, and Japan. Chinese buyers saw a shorter estimate of 1-2 weeks. The iPhone 17 Pro Max showed longer wait times in all markets, at 3-4 weeks. The standard iPhone 17 had shipping estimates of 2-3 weeks on various Apple stores, except for the Chinese website, where it offered buyers a 3-4 week shipping delay. Finally, he iPhone Air was widely available for purchase, with the exception of some variants in Japan that would ship to buyers in 1-2 weeks.
Following Morgan Stanley's research note, we conducted similar checks on Apple's online stores, looking at all the possible storage and color combinations for the four new iPhones. The bad news is that three iPhone 17 models are still sold out in the U.S. However, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has improved, showing 2-3 weeks. Canadian consumers still have to wait 3-4 weeks for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Interestingly, Apple appears to have caught up with demand in Europe, including the U.K., Germany, France, Ireland, and Switzerland. Our checks show that all three iPhone 17 models will ship immediately, as Apple's local online stores do not display delivery estimates like last week. Similarly, shipping delay estimates have disappeared from the Chinese and Japanese online stores. Unless there's a glitch preventing Apple's European and Asian web stores from displaying shipping delays correctly, it appears consumers in these markets can buy an iPhone 17 model without worrying about wait times. Our supply checks only concern Apple's stores. Electronics retailers and carriers might offer different shipping estimates, depending on the market.