iPhone 15 and 15 Plus Proving Less Popular With Buyers This Year

[sw1tcher]

People that can afford a Pro or Pro Max are less price sensitive.

When more and more people are opting to pay for their iPhones through a monthly installment plan

iPhone buyers opt for installment options more than Android phone buyers, finds survey

iPhone buyers tend to go for installment plans for their new phone more than Android phone buyers do, according to data from a new survey.

www.phonearena.com

The new survey comes from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), and it aims to find out the differences between iPhone and Android buyers in purchasing methods.

Interestingly enough, 55% of iPhone buyers opt for monthly installment plans, compared to 44% of Android buyers. 38% of iPhone buyers pay upfront for their phones, and 49% of Android buyers. 7% of the people use other buying methods.


the price difference between an iPhone 15/15 Plus and 15 Pro/15 Pro Max becomes negligible.

 

[Shanesan]

Oh we know how this story works – Apple takes this data and they cut the Plus and Regular model like they did to the Mini, right?

 

[poematik13]

My work phone is a 15 and it sucks. Compared to my personal 15 pro it just feels slower and laggier, probably because of the lack of 120hz. It's crazy how extreme of a difference that makes.

 

[tcphoto1]

The iPhone isn't advancing as quickly as technology is and features are slow to be implemented. I seem to upgrade every three to five years and currently have an iphone14, check back with me for thew iphone18 or if something amazing is released.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

Oh we know how this story works – Apple takes this data and they cut the Plus and Regular model like they did to the Mini, right?

The mini allowed Apple to raise the prices of the regular and plus models of iPhones by $100 each. Even though the mini failed on its own, it raised the average selling price of non-pro phones.

 

[CalMin]

I'm going to need to knock on a ton of wood for saying this.

I think the iPhone 15 Pro is peak iPhone hardware (iOS is a different story). From a hardware perspective, I have zero complaints. The titanium is surprisingly durable - it has aged better than any aluminum or stainless steel iPhone to date. The screen is great. The cameras are great. The buttons feel good. The grip in hand feels good. USB-C is awesome. I think this is the iPhone to have for those that intend on keeping it for 3+ years.

Yep. The 15 Pro Max feels that way to me too. My only gripe is the action button which I don't use nearly as much as I thought I might because it's awkwardly placed. As with the 13 Pro, the cameras deliver better results than any other camera I own, but better cameras can push me to upgrade because, well, life only happens once and always having the best camera available makes me happy.

 

[Col4bin]

Because it offers nothing new or groundbreaking? Call me crazy, but just a hunch! Time for Tim Cook to go 👍

Apple can't keep milking existing product lines without offering new groundbreaking tech for the masses. Apple's market share WILL begin to erode the longer this goes on and shareholders will lose patience. Apple also runs the risk of losing competitive market advantage, and worse case, possibly getting "Blackberried" by an up-and-coming company focused on differentiated new tech and innovation that we've never seen before.

Wake up, Timmy!

 

[brofkand]

Who wants the same old phone, but with a bigger notch that takes up more screen space, and you have to buy all new chargers? (I know USB-C is better - I prefer it too, but speaking from the average consumer's perspective).

Apple needs to completely re-think their iPhone strategy.

 

[t0rqx]

Next article: iPhone 15 sees huge sales.

 

[erikkfi]

Not true. They still sell more of the pro line then lower phones. It just shows people less likely to get the base 15 vs 14 as they aren't worth the extra money for the cheaper phones. Almost 1/2 of all iPhones were the top of the marketing ladder. That is great marketing.

Why are you arguing with me? Look at the charts.

First let's restate your argument, which is that the charts show "that Apple is very successful in making people go up the product ladder to more expensive SKUs."

That is not what the data show.

Q1 2023: Pro+Pro Max = 46% market share
Q1 2024: Pro+Pro Max = 45% market share

There was in fact a statistically insignificant decline for the Pro devices.

My argument is the opposite of yours: quarter-over-quarter there were more sales of lower-end devices below the standard range (iPhone 14 in 2023, and 15 in 2024). Let's look again at the data.

Q1 2023: All iPhones below iPhone 14 = 25% market share
Q1 2024: All iPhones below iPhone 15 = 32% market share

 

[AlexJaye]

This must be why Apple artificially limited battery customization to these devices.

 

[MallardDuck]

I still regret buying a 14 over a 13, there's basically no difference. Definitely no meaningful difference from a 14 and 15 (other than USB-C). I don't even see buying at 16 this fall unless apple has a massive surprise in iOS 18 that only works on the 16s (and is something I'd actually use).

They have this problem across the portfolio - there's just not substantial incremental features they can add anymore. Have to wonder if at some point they move the iphone to an every-two cycle like the iPad.

 

[Ursadorable]

There hasn't been any new features or improvements in the past several years that warrant me upgrading my 13 pro max. I don't care about camera improvements at all. I suspect I'll be using this device until it's no longer supported by newer versions of iOS.

 

[DJTaurus]

It’s the first year i see almost zero interest on sale/trade classified not only for 15/15 plus but even for pro models. Apple believes they will bounce back with 16 line. With what Apple ? You have become an uninterested boredom snoozefest.

 

[iLuddite]

There were more viable iPhone options this year. You could choose between two 6.7-inch Plus models. If you wanted a regular 6.1-inch, you could choose between iPhone 13, 14, and 15. That diluted the sales of iPhone 15 and 15 Plus.

Last year, you had to choose between iPhone 13 or 14/Plus. The mini is not a real option for most consumers. The iPhone 12 was unappetizing due to 64GB base storage and wide notch.

Patently false. You know how many iPhones mini I see working corporate retail customer service in a large city? A ton. Apple’s discontinuation of the mini was a huge mistake regardless of what MacRumors nerds think

 

[HVDynamo]

I'm still holding on to my 12 pro. First time I've gone more than 2 years without a new phone in a long while. Maybe even since the days of the StarTAC

I'm still using my 12 Pro as well and I honestly don't see myself upgrading for a couple more years yet. This phone has been great for the most part. But I still get frustrated with FaceID and wish it had TouchID/Home button back, but a new phone isn't going to fix that. My battery health is still at 89% and I haven't seen a need to replace the battery yet either. I just don't have a reason to upgrade.

My ideal iPhone would have a headphone jack, TouchID/Home button (I don't care if that means the chin returns it's more functionally well defined that way), and 3D Touch along with all day battery life. The Camera's are good enough at this point too. I don't need anything better than the 12 Pro has and would rather that space go to battery than more camera.

 

[HVDynamo]

What does a posh new Apple telephone do that my trusty 6S doesn't?

Battery life and camera performance. That's about it. Other than that I prefer the feature set of the 6S a lot more than my 12 Pro.

 

[somantyx]

Because they're too expensive, offer nothing new, and have cannibalized their own line by having so many different models. Offer iPhone / IPhone Max and get rid of the pro line. And, here's an idea -- offer a thin but sturdy plastic e-ink Apple phone (similar to the Lite Phone II) that's ultra minimalistic, focused on just being a phone and texting device (perhaps with some simplified email apps. I'd buy this in a heartbeat. Call it the Apple Slice.

 

[oneMadRssn]

Yep. The 15 Pro Max feels that way to me too. My only gripe is the action button which I don't use nearly as much as I thought I might because it's awkwardly placed. As with the 13 Pro, the cameras deliver better results than any other camera I own, but better cameras can push me to upgrade because, well, life only happens once and always having the best camera available makes me happy.

I also don't use the action button nearly as much as I thought, but I do use it slightly more often than I used the toggle switch before it. So on net, while small, it is still better and I am not sure a bigger or differently-placed action button would improve things.

 

[brofkand]

I wish I had kept my iPhone XR, honestly. That's why I am interested in the new SE. Rumors are it will basically be an XR reissue.

 

[mburkhard]

It’s nice to see that the 13 mini is still selling enough to be included in the charts.

Quite impressive really! Tim Apple says nobody wants a mini iPhone, yet people still buy it all these years later. Now of course us mini lovers a small group, but I refuse to believe that this group is so small that it's not worth selling a single model for.
If people are desperate enough to by a 13 mini in 2024, such an old phone relatively speaking, it shows that some people REALLY want small. So surely there'd be enough people for a 16 mini this year.

Personally I use my 13 mini and would love to get a newer one this year. But if Apple doesn't want to produce a new mini, then I have nothing I can upgrade to and buy nothing. I'm sure there's a LOT more people in the same situation I am. Holding onto their mini as long as possible due to not having an alternative.

 

[TigerNike23]

BUT BUT BUT…. USB-C is gonna change everything!!!

/s

 

[one more]

Both 15 and 15 Plus are great iPhones, it is just people stopped upgrading so often.

 

[spinedoc77]

I hate to be that comment but….there’s only so many times you can basically repeat the same phone before you just lose interest and hang onto what you have. My 13PM is still a beast. My 14Pro is very meh, and my desire to even get the 16 is just not there yet.

This. I'm not seeing much of a benefit to go past my 13 pro max, especially since they got rid of the SIM card and I swap my phones out a lot. The 16 looks like it's all about AI, so I'd be surprised if there was anything compelling outside of AI (if that is even compelling), although of course Apple will make the 16 hardware mandatory for most AI functions. Samsung released a bunch of AI stuff and at least they gave it to current phones like my ZF5.

 

[JPack]

Patently false. You know how many iPhones mini I see working corporate retail customer service in a large city? A ton. Apple’s discontinuation of the mini was a huge mistake regardless of what MacRumors nerds think

Seems you're having trouble reading that 1% slice on the graph since it's so small.