iPhone 5s Reportedly Outselling iPhone 5c Two-to-One Since Launch

According to new data by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (via AllThingsD), the iPhone 5s has been outselling the iPhone 5c by more than a two-to-one margin since the launch of both devices last month, with the higher-end device accounting for 64% of total iPhone sales and the lower-cost device accounting for 27%. The iPhone 4S made up the remaining 9%, with the iPhone 5s capturing a lesser percentage of new sales this year when compared to the 68% of new sales captured by the iPhone 5 last year.
iphone_5s_5c

What’s more surprising is the iPhone 5c’s sales performance relative to that of the iPhone 4S’s following the debut of the iPhone 5. Despite the 5c’s newness and its colorful design, it’s not selling that much better than the 4S did when it was demoted to legacy iPhone by the flagship iPhone 5.

According to CIRP’s analysis, the 5c accounted for 27 percent of iPhone sales during the time period surveyed — just slightly more than the 23 percent captured by the 4S during the same period last year. Remember, the new 5c is this year stepping into a role similar to the one the old 4S served last year: The $99 iPhone. But Apple has attempted to improve its value proposition, tricking it out with a new plastic chassis and color options.

A 2-to-1 lead for the iPhone 5s over the iPhone 5c would appear to mark a decline from the launch weekend of September 20, when analytics firm Localytics saw the ratio at closer to 3.5-to-1 by tracking the new devices showing up on its network. At the time, we noted that the gap would likely narrow over time as the launch weekend focused on early adopters buying the higher-end iPhone 5s models that were in short supply, while over the longer term the iPhone 5c would more likely hold appeal for mainstream customers updating when their current contracts run out, and that dynamic appears to already be playing out in the weeks following the launch.

Last week, it was reported that Apple is cutting iPhone 5c production from 300,000 units to 150,000 units per day, with the iPhone 5c seeing significantly better availability compared to the iPhone 5s. It is, however, unclear how much of the ample iPhone 5c stock are due to weak demand and how much is due to Apple simply having met demand through more effective production.

Apple announced last month that the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c had sold a record nine million units during their launch weekend, but the company did not break down the sales distribution between the two models. However, a report from last week stated that the iPhone 5c finished second in sales over the month of September at US carriers AT&T and Sprint, and finished within the top three in sales at all four major carriers, which suggests that the lower-cost iPhone is at least selling fairly well.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...

Top Rated Comments

TheRainKing Avatar
150 months ago
If the 5C were cheaper it might have been different.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Thunderhawks Avatar
150 months ago
If Tim Cook thinks people are stupid enough to buy cheap plastic phones that are essentially past year's old product dressed in different colors, he should get his head checked.

That dude can't get anything right.

Needs to get replaced as CEO of Apple ASAP.

They are waiting for your job application!

Hurry, they need you!
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Goftrey Avatar
150 months ago
One word: PRICE!
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Reason077 Avatar
150 months ago
IMO this is why Apple doesn't need "cheap".
Apple doesn't need cheap, but it does need solid mid-range competitors to Android. The 5c fits the bill, but it's priced too high.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
4jasontv Avatar
150 months ago
When the iPhone 5 launched the iPhone 4 was free with contract and made up 9% of sales. The iPhone 4S was 23% and the 5 lead with 68%. That seemed normal to everyone.

Now the 5S is 64%, the 5C is 27% and the 4S is 9%.

So, the real story is that a slight change to the look of the mid tier device (in the absence of change in the flagship) has resulted in a slight increase in it's sales.

People who want the free one are still taking it at the same rate, but people who don't care to pony up for top of the line are more willing to take a mid tier device that has been refreshed.

This is all very remarkable.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zgh1999 Avatar
150 months ago
If Tim Cook thinks people are stupid enough to buy cheap plastic phones that are essentially past year's old product dressed in different colors, he should get his head checked.

That dude can't get anything right.

Needs to get replaced as CEO of Apple ASAP.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)