iPhone 16 Pro Demand Has Been Lower Than Expected, Analyst Says

[TallManNY]

I feel like people are not actually making much of a point when they comment that they are staying with a 14 or 15 instead of moving to the 16. Now I’m considering not moving my wife from the 13 Pro to the 16 Pro (she says her 13 Pro is fine and she recently had the battery replaced). Now that would mean she would be rocking the same phone for 4 years. That would be a long time.

 

[jdawgnoonan]

The whining because all iOS 18 features are not coming on day 1 is pretty humorous.

 

[MilaM]

In all fairness - the combined cost of the equipment used in this video (check the prices of the lenses used) is rather large for the average picture-taker, and so is the bulk you’ll be carrying around. While I’m pretty sure that taking camera equipment (camera + lens) for the same amount as a 16Pro would still give better results than the phone (bigger sensor and all), it would be a fairer comparison. It would also have been interesting to see both old and new phone at 5x (vs the current 4.9)…

Sure. But I think the point, that Apple's marketing is very misleading, still stands. Look at this visual from Apple's homepage. It strongly suggests, that the iPhone Pro's camera is somehow equivalent to a large lens, which is quite a stretch.

 

[DownUnderDan]

I got a preorder for 16 pro in but yeah... dubious whether or not most people want it, or understand its value proposition, let alone it won't be available and only partially at that a month after the hardware launches. Empty promises and nebulous timeline.

Heads should roll at Cupertino but they'll probably get promotions (not ProMotions) for their courage.

Why should heads roll? Marketing says they want a new phone every year, regardless if it is warranted. They got their dam phone.

 

[DownUnderDan]

The whining because all iOS 18 features are not coming on day 1 is pretty humorous.

Old time developer here. There was a time when we released software when it was done and that's when we would say it's version 17 or 18 for example, but that was all before marketing got into the software development business. Now they just put a number on any dam alpha version and release it. The fact you think that is normal, is for us old timers the funny bit.

 

[XboxEvolved]

Considering the regular phones are basically last year’s pro but better in many aspects and come in a bunch of colors, that’s likely why they’ll sell better. I am most likely just going to hold out for the mega refresh next year. My 11 gets the job done and is still supported.

 

[ArmCortexA8]

I am upgrading to the iPhone 16 Pro Max 512GB in Desert Titanium, however I am only interested in the larger screen / larger battery / wifi 7 support - the rest is of no use to me and I do not use and have no purpose to use Siri / AI and never will - I only use SMS / email / Notes / some random photos / don’t use paid apps / don’t use games / don’t use emoji’s / don’t use FaceTime / etc and if I want to take decent photos I use my trust Canon 5D Mark IV - full frame sensor - DSLR - and don’t believe Apple’s camera “marketing” - its all lies and misinformation and “megapixels” mean nothing - its all about the sensor size - proof below:

 

[trainwrecka]

Everyone I talk to wants the Pro Max. No one can afford it with all the inflation in America. The value of the dollar is way down and prices keep going up.

 

[Kazgarth]

I'll upgrade if they produce Folding iPhone.

Until then I'm fine with 14PM. Innovation is slow these days.

 

[cybercommand]

Well duh. Nothing is new except another button that would get in the way that I would accidentally press.

 

[Patrick P]

I don’t get it. It’s a great phone, no question. But in comparison to 14 Pro and 15 Pro there are almost no changes to make people wanna upgrade. I mean „Hey look at my new phone, I have a camera button, now“ … OK. What did they expect with this thing? iPhone 14 Pro had the new 48MP camera and the iPhone 15 Pro at least had USB-C. Two great updates. But the iPhone 16 Pro? What is the major thing about that phone?
(PS: I will buy it because my 12 Mini is dying)

 

[waquzy]

very happy with my 15 Pro... the 17 will need to be a big step up to make me want to upgrade...

It won’t be

 

[WannaGoMac]

Considering the regular phones are basically last year’s pro but better in many aspects and come in a bunch of colors, that’s likely why they’ll sell better. I am most likely just going to hold out for the mega refresh next year. My 11 gets the job done and is still supported.

Good choice. Its just a phone, and the 11 works Fine.

Tnese comments about not upgrading their 14 or 15 phones are hilarious and completely disconnected from most consumers buying devices.

 

[DrJR]

At this point, I'm keeping my iPhone 14 Pro out of spite.

Same.

 

[bigjnyc]

I'll buy if word ever comes out this will be the last Pro iPhone with an Qualcomm modem.

Why? We don't even know what Apple's com chip is going to look like yet. Look at what they did with Apple silicon, completely blew intel out of the water on mac devices. Why rule it out without even hearing the specs or performance

 

[ZilzilaStriken]

My main reason to go with iPhone 15 Pro was less weight and USB-C, this was one of the thing mentioned in the event if I remember; and I love the weight difference so much every single time I hold it, now again back to iPhone 14 Pro weight? I hope Apple will not increase any further weight or size next year, there is already a Pro Max for that.

Sorry, skipping this year.

 

[JungleNYC]

"We're launching new AI that will only work with our brand new phones… but those AI features will not be available for a long times… wait, why aren't you buying the new phones?"

 

[lewchenko]

Not sure Apple have done enough to get me to upgrade from a 13 Pro. 8Gb memory & no telephoto camera upgrade shout “Wait for the 17”. I was planning on upgrading as well …

 

[thadoggfather]

Why should heads roll? Marketing says they want a new phone every year, regardless if it is warranted. They got their dam phone.

Missing a deadline on a crucial software feature for something that shouldn’t have been rushed , Apple decided this is the year of AI. Not the consumer.

In a meritocracy there would be punishment not ambivalence or even reward for failure to launch.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

My unit at work is full of iPhone users and only one of them even know a new model is available, and they aren't upgrading. As for myself, it's odd. When I was younger and didn't have money, I wanted to upgrade all the time. Now that I'm a bit older (45), and money isn't an issue, I can't be bothered.

All that said, I'm glad that people are keeping their phones for 3+ years. It's better for the savings account and better for the environment. The less consumerism, the better.

 

[flottenheimer]

In addition, the analyst said the iPhone is facing "intense competition" in China.

Does anyone happen to know what the most popular non-Apple phones are in China?

 

[chfilm]

No Apple Intelligence in Europe, no buy

 

[brofkand]

I don’t see how they could possibly know that with any certainty. But it does track - it’s the same phone for going on the 6th year. Time for some fresh ideas.

 

[Ralfi]

Oh my all the replies. I bet most are angry.

When are the ‘yearly upgraders’ going to realise it’s not about them. Fools upgrade every year expecting big changes. The wise observers have been saying this for years.

A slump in sales means Apple have done a good job for 2-3 generations.

It’s BETTER for consumers.

Hold onto your phones & enjoy them for longer & put your spent money to better value use.

& put your saved money toward something else 😏

 

[jtgil]

Does anyone happen to know what the most popular non-Apple phones are in China?

Huawei by a marginal %
Apple is up there in top 3
The other one top 3 is VIVO.

I think this year VIVI is top 1 by market share at around 17.something %