Apparently longer battery life, a variable 120Hz refresh rate (on the Pro models), and improvements to the rear cameras are not enough to get consumers excited about the iPhone 13 series. A survey conducted of over 5,000 iPhone users by phone trade-in site
SellCell reveals that a whopping 64% of the respondents find the 2021 iPhone 13 lineup “not very” exciting or “not at all” exciting. Only 23.2% of those surveyed said that they plan on upgrading to the iPhone 13 line while 76.8% responded with a flat out “no.”
Only 14.4% of 5,000 consumers surveyed found the new iPhone 13 series “extremely” or “very” exciting
Only 14.4% call the new line “extremely” or “very exciting,” and 21.5% called it “somewhat exciting.” At 42.5%, the 6.1-inch
iPhone 13 Pro was the most popular choice among those looking to upgrade to the latest iPhone series. Next choice was the
iPhone 13 Pro Max (26.3%), followed by the iPhone 13 (22%) and the
iPhone 13 mini (9.2%). 23.2% of iPhone owners plan to upgrade to the iPhone 13 series but that is down over 20.5% from the results seen two months ago.
Only 23.2% of iPhone users surveyed said that they plan on upgrading to a new iPhone 13 series model
So what features attracted those iPhone owners looking to upgrade? 34.1% cited the 120Hz ProMotion display that redraws 120 times each second. 25.3% said that they upgraded to the 2021 iPhone models because of the longer battery life on the new handsets. 15.7% said simply that they were due for a new iPhone, and 10.5% upgraded because they are subscribed to a yearly upgrade/trade-in program. 5.4% said improvements to the cameras (such as Cinematic mode and Photographic Styles) made them buy a new 2021 iPhone model.
Other responses include the 3.2% who selected to upgrade due to the new 1TB storage option, and 2.6% picked out the new A15 Bionic chipset with 15 billion transistors as a reason to upgrade. 1.5% cited the narrower notch as their reason to update. New color options and support for dual eSIMs were the reasons selected for buying a new 2021 iPhone by 1.1% and .6% of survey respondents respectively.
What kept away the iPhone users that did not buy an iPhone 13 model?
Apple, take note: 29.3% said lack of Touch ID kept them on the sidelines this year. 19.5% didn’t upgrade because of the lack of compelling new features. 12.1% stuck with their current iPhone because it still works fine. 9.6% stayed put because of the lack of an Always-on display while 7.3% wanted a notch-free design and didn’t get it (although the iPhone appears to lose its notch next year).
Other reasons not to upgrade cited by survey participants include the lack of 120Hz ProMotion on non Pro models (5.7%), too expensive (5.2%), lack of USB-C port (2.9%), not happy with color options (2.4%), no reverse
wireless charging (2.1%), superstition that 13 is an unlucky number (1.7%), no support for rumored satellite connectivity (1.4%), and the lack of rumored WiFi 6e connectivity (.8%).
Those looking to upgrade selected the iPhone 13 Pro as the model that they want to buy
Those iPhone users who don’t plan on buying the iPhone 13 line were asked about their future plans. 36.8% said that they will wait for the release of the iPhone 14. 32.3% don’t plan on updating during the next two years, 16.1% are moving to Android, 11.3% are planning on purchasing an older iPhone model, and 3.5% are undecided.
Only 7.5% of those surveyed plan on purchasing an Apple Watch Series 7 timepiece
In a stat that bodes well for the new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro line, the most popular phones that iPhone users plan to switch to are Google’s Pixel handsets (45.1%) closely followed by Samsung (41.8%). The list then drops off sharply with OnePlus next (8.4%), Motorola (3.7%), and Others (1%).
Reasons why iPhone users want to upgrade to the new 20212 handsets
18.2% of those surveyed said that they will buy one of the two new iPad tablets introduced during the California Streaming event last month. 72.6% plan on buying the redesigned sixth-generation iPad mini while 27.4% say that they will purchase the basic 10.2-inch iPad. The lack of new health features on the Apple Watch seems to have dulled demand for the new Series 7 version of the timepiece as only 7.5% of those asked say that they will purchase the product.
Next year’s Series 8 Apple Watch is rumored to include a thermometer for taking the user’s temperature, and possibly sensors for taking the wearer’s Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar readings. The redesigned iPhone 14 was supposed to replace the notch with a punch-hole camera and an under-display Touch ID sensor. But reliable TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said last month that the
under-display Touch ID has been pushed back to the 2023 iPhone 15 series.
