尽管 iPhone 在行动相机表现上已「十年」未居业界最佳，电池与记忆体规格落后部分 Android 对手，且盒内不附充电器，iPhone 仍在中国创下「单季销售最佳纪录」。此结果显示 iPhone 对消费者并非可随意互换的同质商品；多数使用者不会因规格差异而直接改投其他智慧型手机，核心黏著力来自产品差异化与生态系锁定。
Counterpoint Research 将此归因于「超级换机周期」：疫情期间购机的一批 iPhone 用户在装置磨损后集中升级。分析师 Ivan Lam 指出，Apple 在 iPhone 12 与 iPhone 13 周期已「播种」，当时中国销售亦达高峰；同时 Huawei 因众所周知的限制在高阶市场留下暂时真空，降低了高端替代选项。其同事 Yang Wang 补充，iPhone 17 被视为在身分象征与使用寿命上「实质升级」，而 Android 阵营被认为在 AI 上高谈阔论但交付不足；加上规格提升与延宕已久的外观改版，让升级被视为「可见且值得」。
长期趋势亦偏向高阶化：消费者更常选择更高价位机型与 Pro 版本，并计划持有数年，扩大 Apple 的可得市场。Counterpoint 的数据显示，新款 iPhone 在销量中的占比「超过 80%」；定价从 5,999 元人民币（约 860 美元）到 8,999 元的 iPhone 17 Pro Max，各后继机型相较 iPhone 16 前代销售均以「两位数百分比」成长。Tim Cook 亦称跨平台转换者以「两位数百分比」增加，使 Apple 在大中华区与中国大陆的装置安装量创历史新高；12 月季度的胜利来自软体生态系差异化与硬体升级的结合，以及对中国关系的持续经营（如每隔数月的外交式造访）。
Despite the iPhone having lacked the industry’s best mobile camera for a decade, lagging some Android rivals on battery and memory specifications, and shipping without a charger in the box, it just posted a record for its best sales quarter ever in China. The outcome indicates iPhones are not treated as fungible goods: many users do not readily swap to other smartphones on specs alone, because differentiation and ecosystem lock-in dominate the decision.
Counterpoint Research attributes the surge to a “super upgrade cycle,” with many pandemic-era iPhone buyers replacing worn devices. Analyst Ivan Lam argues Apple “planted the seeds” during the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 cycles, when China sales also peaked, while Huawei’s well-known constraints left a temporary vacuum in the high-end segment. Colleague Yang Wang adds that the iPhone 17 was perceived as a genuine step up in status and longevity, while the Android camp was seen as talking up AI without delivering; combined with better specs and an overdue redesign, the upgrade looked visibly meaningful.
A broader premiumization trend also helps: buyers increasingly choose higher-tier and Pro models with multi-year holding periods, expanding Apple’s opportunity set. Counterpoint data put new-model iPhones at over 80% of unit sales; pricing ranged from 5,999 yuan (about $860) to 8,999 yuan for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and each iPhone 17 successor outperformed its iPhone 16 predecessor by a double-digit percentage in sales. CEO Tim Cook said switchers from other platforms grew by a double-digit percentage, pushing Apple’s installed base in greater China and mainland China to all-time records; the December quarter’s result reflects ecosystem-based differentiation reinforced by hardware upgrades and sustained China engagement, including visits every few months.