Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Apple will halve iPhone X production after limp holiday sales, report says

According to a report from Nikkei, Apple will be halving its initial production estimates for the iPhone X in the three-month period that began in January.

The initial estimates, set during the November launch window of the iPhone X, were for 40 million units. According to Nikkei’s unsourced report, the company informed suppliers that the number has been revised to 20 million units after international sales during the holiday season were less than anticipated. Not long after the news broke on Nikkei, the stock market responded to the news and Apple’s share prices fell 1.9 percent — a loss of $45 billion.

Recommended Videos

This isn’t the first we’ve heard of issues surrounding the iPhone X. Last week, an analyst from KGI Securities predicted that the iPhone X would be permanently retired in the summer of 2018, following sales that were less than expected.

Interestingly, production numbers for the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone 7 have not been altered, with Apple still expecting to maintain a production target of 30 million units for the cheaper, less advanced models. This tallies with another previous report from analysts Cowen & Co. that customers preferred cheaper iPhones to the more expensive iPhone X and blamed the extremely high $999 iPhone X price tag as the reason that many Apple consumers were gravitating to the other models.

The reason for the high price tag is likely for a handful of reasons. Apple’s iPhone has always been a premium brand but the iPhone X broke new ground even in that marketplace. Most commentators point to the price of OLED displays as being a large part of the reason that the iPhone X’s price was so inflated above the market average. The OLED screen on the iPhone X was Apple’s first, and with mobile competitor Samsung being the only supplier who could supply enough displays for Apple’s needs, the iPhone giant would have likely been paying top dollar for each display.

Regardless of this news, Apple’s iPhones continued to sell well toward the tail end of 2017. While $45 billion may also be a large sum of money, it’s not a massive relative drop for Apple, which is on track to becoming the world’s first company valued at $1 trillion.

Mark Jansen
Former Mobile Evergreen Editor
Mark Jansen is an avid follower of everything that beeps, bloops, or makes pretty lights. He has a degree in Ancient &…
This one iPadOS 26 feature has me excited for the iPhone Fold
Semi-open state of a foldable iPhone concept

Samsung is set to launch the seventh generation of its Galaxy Z Fold book-style folding phone this Summer, but its biggest rival is yet to show its folding phone hand. Apple has long been expected to unveil an iPhone Fold, and the latest rumors suggest that it will launch next year.

I’ve used almost every folding phone released globally, with some exceptions for extremely obscure ones. While I've always been curious what an iPhone Fold would look like, I was fairly certain that Apple shouldn't build it, as I wasn’t sure they could deliver on one necessary feature.

Read more
Will my iPhone get iOS 26? Here’s every supported model
We've got the full list of iOS 26 supported devices - find out if you're getting the new iPhone update
iOS 26 features on a series of iPhone screens

Apple announced iOS 26 at WWDC 2025, and the new iPhone update comes with a fresh new 'Liquid Glass' look and plenty of features - and there are loads of iOS 26 supported devices, which is great news.

And no, you haven't missed a volley of updates since iOS 18 in 2024. Apple has skipped a bunch of numbers, so instead of giving us iOS 19 in 2025, we got iOS 26 alongside iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26 and tvOS 26. In short, Apple's brought its operating system numbering into line. Nice.

Read more
3 big iOS 19 changes that I hope Apple reveals at WWDC 2025
iOS 19 sample logo.

We’re less than two days away from Apple’s big WWDC 2025 keynote, where the company will reveal new versions of each of its software platforms. One of the biggest changes this year is the expected shift from iOS 19 to iOS 26, with new versions of macOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS also set to follow suit. We're also expecting to see the evolution of Apple Health, including a new AI doctor and Health subscription.

iOS 26, if it is to be named that, is expected to introduce one of the biggest evolutions in design for Apple software since the first iPhone was launched. Inspired by visionOS and the Apple Vision Pro, it’s expected to be a monumental redesign, but I hope that Apple also takes the time to make a few improvements.

Read more