Analyst Says iPhone 18 Pro Pre-Order Wait Times Point to Lukewarm Demand

Pu said there is no delay with most iPhone 18 Pro configurations, while availability for the Pro Max varies by model and color. Silver 1TB and 2TB models are available immediately. Black and glacier 1TB models carry a one- to two-week wait, while burgundy 1TB and most colors in 256GB and 512GB have a three- to four-week wait. Assuming consistent supply levels, 9to5Mac said, those wait times would indicate the iPhone 18 Pro is less popular than most of its predecessors.

9to5Mac cautioned that pre-order shipping estimates are a crude measure of demand because they reflect the gap between supply and demand rather than unit sales. A million people wanting a new device and a million devices in stock would still result in immediate delivery, 9to5Mac said, while demand for 100,000 units with only 10,000 in stock would mean lengthy waits. Apple stopped revealing unit sales even in earnings reports, the report noted.

Market intelligence companies use other methods to supplement shipping-time estimates. A common approach is to use pre-recruited consumer panels that have consented to having their inboxes scanned for order emails. Consumer surveys are also sometimes used. Combining methods can improve reliability, 9to5Mac said, but the results still amount to educated guesses.

The largest variable this time, as Pu acknowledged, is that pre-orders have not yet opened for the iPhone Duo. An unknown number of consumers who would otherwise have ordered an iPhone 18 Pro model may be waiting for that device instead. Lukewarm demand for the iPhone 18 Pro, 9to5Mac said, could point to higher-than-expected demand for the iPhone Duo.

Once iPhone Duo pre-orders open, the picture may become more complicated. Reporting has suggested that production yields for the Duo have been relatively low, meaning even modest demand could produce lengthy shipping waits.