DigiTimes 援引台湾大与远传高管：iPhone 18 Pro 与首款折叠机 iPhone Duo 将带动高端换机潮，属发布会期间电信商例行乐观表态

中文網

繁體

简体

SUBSCRIBE

My account

Sign out

SUBSCRIBE

Trending Apple
Huawei
Nvidia
AI Search
Scaling AI Glasses
Inference Era AI
Advanced Packaging

Trending

SUBSCRIBE

CONNECT WITH US

Sign out

REALTIME NEWS

Corning sees CPO and glass core as new semiconductor battlegrounds

Tomorrow's Headlines

Sep 14, 18:47

China optical transceivers avoid US FCC curbs as NPO and CPO compete in high-speed links

Tomorrow's Headlines

Sep 14, 18:46

China's AIDC token costs hinge on access to advanced GPUs

Tomorrow's Headlines

Sep 14, 18:46

Home

Tech

Communications

Apple phones drive premium upgrade wave for carriers

Chong Jing, Taipei

Sep 11, 2026, 17:21

0

Credit: DIGITIMES

Apple's newly unveiled iPhone 18 Pro series and the company's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, have prompted Taiwan's three major telecom operators to roll out pricing plans and preorder schedules, targeting the first wave of upgrade demand. Taiwan Mobile and FarEasTone said demand for high-end iPhones has continued to rise in recent years, and they expect the Pro series to be the first choice at launch this year, while the iPhone Duo could trigger a new round of upgrades among Apple fans.

Taiwan Mobile's chief business officer for consumer operations, Tung-min Lin, said the company's iPhone upgrade momentum continues to grow. Sales of the iPhone 17 series rose nearly 20% from the previous generation, while the Pro series posted year-over-year growth of almost 30%, underscoring especially strong demand from premium users.
He said Taiwan Mobile expects this year's iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro series to extend that premium upgrade momentum.
Lin noted that during past iPhone launch periods, more than 70% of Taiwan Mobile users signed up for monthly plans priced at NT$1,399 (approx. US$44.4) or above, and he expects the share of high-priced plans for the new iPhone to rise further this year, boosting ARPU and revenue growth.
On first-wave sales, Lin said Taiwan Mobile's current supply visibility suggests the iPhone 18 Pro series will, as usual, be in short supply. For the Duo, supply for the initial launch has not yet been confirmed, and because it is set to go on sale one month later than the Pro series, visibility remains limited.
FarEasTone executive vice president Yi-nan Chao said that although the new iPhone models have seen price adjustments due to rising global chip costs, the latest devices bring meaningful upgrades in both hardware and user experience, leaving FarEasTone optimistic about sales this year.
As for the iPhone 18, which is not included in this launch round, Chao said market reaction to past iPhone launches shows that the Pro series has always been the hottest model at launch, and with the added boost from the iPhone Duo this year, he expects replacement demand to remain strong.
Apple's foldable entry could speed up industry evolution
Asked whether Apple's entry will expand the foldable-phone market, Lin said the answer is yes. He said Apple has introduced new solutions for the foldable display structure, crease, durability, and interface design, which could serve as a reference point for other vendors and accelerate the next iteration of foldable technology.
Lin expects that as more companies catch up technologically, foldable phones will see clear improvements in durability and user experience starting in 2027, helping lift demand. He added that as shipment volumes grow, the cost of special components such as hinges can be spread over larger scale, helping reduce overall supply-chain costs and further supporting wider adoption.
Upgrade cycles stretch to four years
With smartphone hardware maturing and software support periods getting longer, handset replacement periods are also extending. Lin said the global upgrade cycle is now close to four years, and users can continue using phones for several years while still maintaining acceptable performance and software support, reducing the urgency to upgrade.
Against that backdrop, Lin said the key to reviving upgrades is whether a new feature delivers enough of a difference for consumers to feel it — the so-called "killer experience."
He said this year's foldable iPhone could give consumers a new reason to upgrade. When a new phone delivers an experience that previous products could not, the long-held mindset of "if it's not broken, don't replace it" could begin to change, strengthening consumers' willingness to upgrade.

Article
edited by Ysi Chen

AI Search

Related stories

Apple faces iPhone 18 Pro price pressure as memory crunch tests AI upgrade strategy

Apple's foldable iPhone supply chain reportedly gears up for 2026 launch

Apple's foldable iPhone launch may slip to early 2027

iPhone 17 high-end model demand exceeds expectations as Taiwanese carriers struggle to meet supply

Far EasTone's dealer reports higher iPhone 17 upgrade intent

Show more

Categories
Mobile devices Mobile + telecom Telecom service, infrastructure

Tags
Apple demand foldable iPhone launch TWM

Companies
Taiwan Mobile

Share this article

Other links

Print

Related topics
Global supply chain: Mobile, telecom, computing

Asia

Regions

BIZ FOCUS
Sep 14, 08:00
Hauman Unveils Micro LED Testing Breakthrough for AI Optical Interconnects

Monday 14 September 2026
Scaling Photonics: Assembly, Test and Fiber Automation at SEMICON Taiwan
Friday 11 September 2026
DAS Expands in Taiwan and Unveils World First at SEMICON
Friday 11 September 2026
Toward Technologies Redefines Relay Solutions at SEMICON Taiwan 2026

MOST-READ
7 DAYS NEWS
Google's v10 TPU opens door to AMD without sidelining Broadcom, MediaTek
Update: ABF substrate maker Unimicron searched in origin-labeling probe
Qualcomm's HBC play pulls Samsung and SK hynix into a new race beyond HBM
SK keyfoundry expands 8-inch capacity as China demand strains supply
Samsung, SK Hynix step up China NAND upgrades as US tool risks grow

Column: When digital trust breaks — quantum risk rewrites supply chain resilience
Wuliangye skips carmaking, turns liquor waste into silicon-carbon anodes
The 1,000-watt problem: a TSMC veteran on the brute force forging Nvidia's AI chips
eCloudvalley expands enterprise AI Agent portfolio
CXMT rides AI boom to 80% operating margin
Full list

Members only

×

Sorry, the page you are trying to open is available only for our paid subscribers.
Please login to read more
New users, please register first

Notification

×