Most current iPhone users don’t intend to upgrade to the Apple iPhone 13 series, mobile selling and price comparison site SellCell has found. The platform surveyed more than 5,000 people in the US who own an older model and came to the conclusion that the new range has failed to impress iPhone users.
The iPhone 13 lineup is a modest upgrade over last year’s collection and gets the new A15 Bionic, which a new report says is 62 percent faster than competing SoCs, some new camera features, a smaller notch, and improved battery life. The higher-end Pro models also boast a 120Hz screen and a 1TB storage option.
64 percent of the respondents don’t view these changes as exciting and more than 76 percent of them have no plans to upgrade to one of the new models. Before the unveiling, around 44 percent of iPhone users had expressed willingness to get a 2021 model, and the 20.5 percent drop in purchase intent implies that Apple has perhaps underdelivered.
The small percentage of survey participants who might upgrade will do it mostly because of the 120Hz ProMotion screen (34.1 percent) and longer battery life (25.1 percent). Nearly 16 percent will consider a new iPhone just because theirs is due for an upgrade. With about 43 percent of the votes, the 6.1-inch iPhone 13 Pro (check out our iPhone 13 Pro review) appears to be the most popular iPhone 13 model amongst current iPhone users.
Of the survey participants who do not plan to buy a new model, approximately 29 percent are not interested because the new phones do not feature Touch ID, 20 percent think there is no new feature compelling enough to warrant an upgrade, 10 percent wanted an always-on display, and 7 percent don’t like the notch. Some of these features could arrive next year with the iPhone 14.
When asked about their phone upgrade plans, around 37 percent of the iPhone users who are not interested in the iPhone 13 said they are waiting for the iPhone 14, 32 percent do not plan on upgrading in the next two years, and 16 percent will be switching to an Android phone.
When probed further, 45 percent of the defectors said their next phone will be from Google, and around 42 percent may switch to Samsung.
Although the survey paints a dismal picture for the new iPhones, it is not necessarily representative of the sentiments of the entire iPhone installed base. Apple is allegedly optimistic about the sales prospects and early stats and consumer behavior also indicate that despite being an incremental upgrade, the iPhone 13 will be amongst the top phones of 2021.