iPhone 17 lead times remain higher than last year, BofA says

[Apple Launches iPhone 17 Line Up In Sydney]

Lead times for Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AAPL]) iPhone 17 smartphone line have remained higher than last year's lineup, Bank of America said on Monday, as it provided an update [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4495733-apple-iphone-17-demand-likely-up-as-lead-times-rise-morgan-stanley] from last week.

As of Sept. 29, lead times on Apple's own website and the different carrier websites showed the ship time for the iPhone 17 at 19 days, Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan told clients in a research note. When compared to the 5 days for the iPhone 16, it's indicative of “strong demand,” Mohan wrote.

Delving deeper, ship dates in China are the highest for the iPhone 17, at 25 days, compared to 18 days in other international regions. Lead times for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are similar to what they were last year, at 14 days for the iPhone 17 Pro and 21 days for the iPhone 17 Max. Carrier availability is also better than Apple's own availability, as the Pro has a lead time between two and three weeks straight from Apple, compared to just 9 days for U.S. carriers.

Mohan suggested that the iPhone 17 may be selling well in China due to the government subsidy on electronics below 6,000 yuan and the lack of availability [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4494398-apple-delays-launch-of-iphone-air-in-mainland-china] of the iPhone Air.

Conversely, the iPhone Air has “good availability” worldwide, Mohan said, with average ship dates around the globe at just three days. “The shorter ship times could indicate higher starting inventory, as Apple likely anticipated strong demand for the iPhone Air,” Mohan posited.

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