China Loves The Newest iPhone Model For A Very Colorful Reason

The iPhone 17 series has outsold the iPhone 16 lineup in key markets, becoming a primary driver of Apple's record revenue for the quarter ending in December 2025 (first quarter of Apple's fiscal year 2026). China has also been a key market for Apple during the period, registering a massive revenue boost, powered in part by the new iPhone 17 series. 

A color choice for the iPhone 17 Pro models may have been the secret ingredient that made iPhone 17 handsets so popular with some consumers. That's the Cosmic Orange version — the very one that faced backlash from Western buyers in the days following the September 2025 launch event. It turns out that some Chinese buyers saw the Cosmic Orange option as a way to stand out from a crowd of similar-looking devices, a status symbol associated with luxury and success.

While Apple doesn't disclose sales figures by model type or color, the iPhone was responsible for $85.23 billion out of the total $143.75 billion revenue for the December quarter. These figures represent 23% and 16% increases year-over-year. As for Greater China, the region accounted for $25.52 billion of Apple's total revenue, a 38% increase over last year's $18.51 billion.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said "the demand for iPhone was simply staggering," according to SixColors' transcript of Apple's December 2025 earnings report. He said Apple's current iPhone lineup is the strongest Apple ever had "and by far the most popular." Cook also noted that December 2025 was Apple's best-ever iPhone quarter in China, driven by "customer enthusiasm for the iPhone 17 lineup."

Tim Cook didn't mention color options during Apple's earnings call in late January, but a recent report from the Financial Times highlighted the importance of the color. Apparently, some Chinese buyers are associating Cosmic Orange with the "Hermès orange" color after influencers in the region made a connection between the iPhone 17 Pro models and the French luxury brand. The Financial Times also notes that analysts from IDC acknowledge Apple's color choice for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models as a key factor that convinced early buyers. Separately, MacRumors notes that the word for "orange" sounds like the word for "success" in Mandarin, which may be another association some buyers made when choosing the Cosmic Orange model.

Various iPhone 17 models were sold out in China from September to December, according to BGR's weekly checks during the period, signaling a strong demand in the region. Interestingly, all color options for the iPhone 17 Pro were sold out during our checks, not just the Cosmic Orange option. And it wasn't just the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max that saw increased demand — the standard iPhone 17 was also sold out in the region, and that variant doesn't come in orange.

Put differently, Cosmic Orange wasn't the only driver of iPhone sales in China. Apple gave the Pro models new chassis designs that also helped them stand out, regardless of color options. The iPhone 17 Pro handsets feature the new A20 Pro chip, triple 48-megapixel cameras, a new selfie camera, and Apple's first vapor chamber cooling for the iPhone. The base iPhone 17 model almost matches the smaller iPhone 17 Pro's specs.

An analysis from CIRP (via NotebookCheck) said the iPhone 17 models accounted for 80% of global iPhone sales for the December 2025 period, a record share. The iPhone 17 Pro Max accounted for 27% of all iPhone sales during the period, followed by the iPhone 17 Pro with 25%. The standard iPhone 17 was third with 22%, while the iPhone Air accounted for 6% of the iPhone sales. CIRP's data doesn't mention which color option sold better and in what market, however. The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models also come in Silver and Deep Blue.

Some people were quick to criticize Apple after the iPhone 17 launch event in September, calling out the company's color choices for the Pro models. Notably, there were no white or black options for the Pro models. Apple's Greg Joswiak explained in an interview with TechRadar that some buyers wanted more vibrant colors for the Pro line. "For years, we've had Pro customers say, 'Hey, the other part of the line gets all the fun colors and we don't,'" Joswiak said, "and it's like, 'Okay, you want a fun color, how about Cosmic Orange, baby'." Considering China's reaction to Cosmic Orange, it looks like Apple's bold choice worked out very well.