Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Quickly Dominate Japanese Smartphone Sales - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Quickly Dominate Japanese Smartphone Sales

by

Apple's new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets are dominating the Japanese market in their first week of sales, reports Forbes, which cited weekly sales rankings provided by Japan's BCN. iPhone sales were boosted by carrier Softbank, which edged out KDDI and NTT DoCoMo as the top wireless provider and accounted for 42.9 percent of weekly iPhone sales. According to the tracking, individual iPhone models took the top 18 spots in sales for the week.

APPLE-BCN-3-CARRIERS-AND-6-VS-6-PLUS
The iPhone 6 was the most popular iPhone version, displacing competitors and the company's own the iPhone 5s and 5c handsets, which previously topped the list for the month of August. According to BCN, the relative split between iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models was roughly 82 percent to 18 percent, with the smaller iPhone 6 seeing much greater sales than the larger model.

BCN tracks smartphones on a weekly and monthly basis, and in its latest weekly rankings the iPhone 6 took 8 of the top 10 spots with the iPhone 5s taking 5th and 8th place. The iPhone 6 Plus’ highest ranking was 11th and it has a fairly strong showing taking 5 of the next 7 spots.

Apple’s success compares to the month of August where the iPhone 5s took the 3rd and 4th positions and the 5c captured the 6th, 7th and 10th positions.

A similar dominance of the iPhone 6 was observed in US metrics with the iPhone 6 far outpacing the bigger iPhone 6 Plus. Much of this disparity may be the result of supply constraints affecting the availability of iPhone 6 Plus handsets, making it much harder for customers to find the models in retail stores and online.

Apple began selling the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus on September 19 and sold a record-breaking ten million handsets in the first weekend of sales. Demand for the handset remains high with minimum ship times of seven to ten days for most iPhone 6 models and three to four weeks for iPhone 6 Plus versions.

Tag: Forbes
Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

156 months ago
bend that Samsung....
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
156 months ago
The 6 plus it's just too darn big. What was Apple thinking? For comparison even the 6 is basically the same size as the 5.2inch LG g2. If it wasn't for the ecosystem and superior apps, Apple would have hard time competing.

When Apple did not have big phones:
No big phones? What is wrong with Apple?!?!

When Apple does have big phones:
If it wasn't for the ecosystem and superior apps, Apple would have hard time competing.

I guess there's no pleasing everyone.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
a0me Avatar
156 months ago
i doubt that, asians were the first to walk around with surfboards in their hands over here
I think you are confusing Korea with Japan. Samsung's market share in Japan is ridiculously small.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bushido Avatar
156 months ago
No, sorry. If I learned anything from MR it's that the Japanese will never buy a phone with a large screen because of their "tiny hands."

i doubt that, asians were the first to walk around with surfboards in their hands over here
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
a0me Avatar
156 months ago
I bought the 6 plus after anticipating it for months, begging for it to be real and not just a rumor, than after 3 days I returned it for the regular 6. The 6 plus it's just too darn big. What was Apple thinking? For comparison even the 6 is basically the same size as the 5.2inch LG g2. If it wasn't for the ecosystem and superior apps, Apple would have hard time competing.
You wanted an over-sized phone and you returned it because it's over-sized? I don't understand the logic.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
applepuree Avatar
156 months ago
I bought the 6 plus after anticipating it for months, begging for it to be real and not just a rumor, than after 3 days I returned it for the regular 6. The 6 plus it's just too darn big.

Thats a matter of opinion and personal taste.

I have the 6 Plus and I love it. For me, its better option than a smaller phone and an iPad. I love the landscape mode and tend to use that most of all.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....