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Apple said it sold over 13 million iPhone 6s and 6s Plus smartphones over the launch weekend, surpassing the record it set with last year’s introduction of the wildly successful iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
Analysts had expected Apple to sell as many as 12 million smartphones, thanks to the device’s availability in China on launch day — China has become Apple’s second-largest market for iPhones, behind the U.S. Last year, Chinese consumers had to wait to purchase the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which tapped into pent-up consumer demand for a larger-screen device from Apple.
“Sales for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have been phenomenal, blowing past any previous first-weekend sales results in Apple’s history,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement.
Apple said earlier this month that it was “on pace” to surpass last year’s milestone of 10 million smartphones sold, but declined to furnish preorder numbers.
First-weekend sales are a closely watched number, though veteran analysts such as Bernstein’s Toni Sacconaghi say it’s mostly a reflection of Apple’s ability to supply phones, rather than a reflection of consumer demand.
Apple said the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will roll out worldwide to more than 40 additional countries and territories on Oct. 9, including Belgium, Greece, Mexico, Russia and Taiwan. On October 10, the phones will be available in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. The new devices will be available in India, Malaysia and Turkey on Oct. 16, reaching more than 130 countries by the end of the year.
Investors have been concerned about how the cooling economy in China might impact Apple’s sales, and whether the Cupertino technology giant will be able to match the record sales and earnings it achieved with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
