JPMorgan reports that the delivery wait times for Apple's iPhone 18 Pro series have notably lengthened in the second week of pre-orders, now broadly aligning with the same period last year for the iPhone 17 lineup last year. This suggests that demand for the Pro models has picked up compared to the opening week.
Delivery wait time, which indicates the expected number of days between placing an order and receiving the product, is frequently used as a key barometer of supply-demand dynamics. When supply conditions remain largely steady, an extension in wait times typically signals stronger order intake and tightening availability, whereas shorter waits may point to tepid interest. Still, this metric can be swayed by factors like production capacity, inventory levels, and logistics, so it should not be interpreted as a definitive measure of actual demand strength.
The data shows that the global average delivery wait for the iPhone 18 Pro jumped from 7 days in the first week to 23 days in the second week, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max saw its wait extend from 19 days to 30 days. In key markets such as Germany, the UK, and the US, wait times have now largely converged with the levels recorded for the iPhone 17 series at the same point last year.
By region, in the US market, wait times for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max have climbed to 21 days and 28 days, respectively, up from just 2 days and 22 days in the prior week. In Germany, the two models have extended from 5 days and 16 days to 22 days and 29 days, respectively.
Asian markets have also seen a marked lengthening of wait times. In China, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max now require waits of 27 days and 33 days, a significant increase from 13 days and 21 days in the prior week. However, these figures remain below the 30-day and 37-day waits observed for the iPhone 17 series during the corresponding week last year. JPMorgan also points out that the iPhone 18 Pro Max currently does not offer in-store pickup in China, which could introduce some distortion into the wait-time data.
Looking at the week-over-week change, the acceleration in wait times for the iPhone 18 Pro series is noticeably faster than the pace seen last year. During the same period a year ago, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max saw wait times increase by only 9 days and 7 days from week one to week two, while this year's models have risen by 16 days and 11 days, respectively. JPMorgan believes this indicates that the pace of demand growth for the iPhone 18 Pro series over the past few days has already outpaced the same window last year.
However, since Apple's first foldable device, the iPhone Duo, is not set to open for pre-orders until October 16, the data over the next few weeks could still be influenced by consumers waiting for the Duo's release. The bank notes that the key metric to watch will be the size of any pullback in wait times during the third week. If wait times continue to hold at elevated levels, it would provide further evidence that current demand is sustainable; but it is typically not until around November, when the supply chain begins adjusting production plans, that the market gains access to more definitive demand signals.
JPMorgan's initial tracking last week showed that the first-round delivery cycle for the iPhone 18 series was shorter than the same period last year, and the firm suggested that some consumers might be holding out for the Duo. With Pro series wait times rising rapidly into the second week, the weaker delivery data from the opening week now appears to have shown a clear improvement.
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