iPhone 12 sales in China surpasses expectations with 18 million units sold in Q4 2020, report says

iPhone 12's market performance exceeded expectations in China as the new Apple smartphone series reportedly sold 18 million units before the end of 2020. This follows an earlier claim that the Cupertino, California-based tech giant is looking to increase iPhone shipments this year.

iPhone 12 sales reached 18 million units in China before 2020 ended

The announcement of the iPhone 12 happened a month later than usual, but it did not seem to affect how it performed in the market, at least in China. DigiTimes reported, per details from local media outlets, that Apple's newest smartphones have covered more than 20% of China's market share for the fourth quarter of 2020.

MacRumors pointed out that this shows how much influence the iPhone 12 series had on China's smartphone market. Before its announcement last October, more than 90% of the market share was distributed among the biggest Chinese smartphone makers, including Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo. After Apple gained momentum in Q4 2020, that figured reportedly went down to 78%.

The favorable response iPhone 12 has seen could be attributed to Apple's overall upgrades to the smartphone series. Aside from a drastic change, the company also started its 5G adoption in this series, with all four devices in the lineup supporting the fastest mobile network available. All iPhone 12 models also shipped with OLED displays, while the Pro variants exclusively feature LiDAR scanner.

iPhones are expected to perform even better in 2021 as Apple was reportedly planning to ship up to 96 million units in the first half of the year. The overall iPhone shipment is anticipated to reach up to 230 million throughout the year.

iPhone 12's MagSafe affects pacemakers and other medical devices, study finds

Another notable new feature on all iPhone 12 models is the added support for MagSafe accessories allowing magnetic wallets and wireless chargers to work with the latest smartphones. However, this could have an unfavorable effect on certain users, especially those who have medical devices.

MacMagazine shared a study published in the Heart Rhythm Journal where a Medtronic pacemaker was deactivated when an iPhone 12 was held near the medical device. It is unclear yet if this should be a cause for concern, but Apple has previously addressed this matter in a safety information document.

"Though all iPhone 12 models contain more magnets than prior iPhone models, they're not expected to pose a greater risk of magnetic interference to medical devices than prior iPhone models," Apple advised. "Consult your physician and medical device manufacturer for information specific to your medical device and whether you need to maintain a safe distance of separation between your medical device and iPhone."

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