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iPhone X is accelerating both iPhone upgrade and Android switching rates in China, says Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley says that the iPhone X is proving such a hit in China that it is accelerating the rate at which existing iPhone owners upgrade, and the rate at which Android users switch to iPhone.

Analyst Katy Huberty also echoed an earlier report that the iPhone X rapidly overtook the iPhone 8, despite the head-start of the lower-cost phone …

Huberty believes that there is plenty more room for growth, reports Yahoo Finance.

“Additional data show that iPhone X adoption in China is on a faster pace than the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus … Despite faster penetration of iPhone X vs. iPhone 8/8 Plus, we believe there remains significant pent-up demand from the base of 2+ year old iPhone owners,” wrote analyst Katy Huberty on Thursday. Huberty explained that nearly half of Apple users in China who have already purchased the iPhone X upgraded from the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, leaving a long “runway” of customers with phones older than two years.

The net switching rate – those switching from Android to iPhone, less those doing the reverse – increased from 6.7% in early October to 9.2% following the launch of the iPhone X.

Early iPhone X adoption was constrained by tight supply, but availability quite quickly improved as suppliers improved their yield rates. By last week, there was next-day delivery available in the US on all iPhone X variants.

Photo: Thomas Peter/Reuters


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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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