Upgraders concerned about iPhone 16 pricing, Apple Intelligence features

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in iPhone

Most potential upgraders will find pricing to be a big factor in moving to the iPhone 16, a survey claims, with the introduction of Apple Intelligence almost as important.

Two iPhones on a maroon surface, one showing a colorful app-filled screen, the other with a beige back and three camera lenses.
A render of what could be the iPhone 16 Pro



With the iPhone 16 range set to launch within weeks, potential buyers of the new handset have to consider which model they should move to. Now, a survey indicates many consumers will certainly be making the shift to the new models.

The survey by SellCell asked over 2,000 people about the iPhone 16 and their purchase intent. Approximately 61.9% said they will be upgrading to the new model.

In terms of the upgrade factors that could encourage consumers to upgrade, 30.9% said Apple's pricing of the iPhone 16 is their most important concern. In second place is thermal management, with 26.8% wanting Apple to keep their iPhones cool and minimally throttling.

Bar chart showing most important rumored iPhone 16 upgrades. Top factors: pricing (30.9%), new thermal design (26.8%), increased AI features (21.9%), faster A-series chip (21.5%).
A chart showing important iPhone 16 upgrade factors from a SellCell survey



Apple Intelligence is in third place, with 21.6% of consumers keen to see an increase in unique AI features. In fourth is a faster A-series chip with 21.5%, while in fifth is larger screen sizes.

Sixth and seventh places were shared by external buttons. 19% wanted to see the Action button across all iPhone 16 models, while 17.7% were keen to see the rumored Capture button.

Size matters



In another survey, the respondents were asked about the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, which could have a taller and wider display.

Approximately 54.9% said they wanted a bigger iPhone. A total of 33% of respondents disagreed, saying that the iPhones are getting too big to handle by consumers.

Survey results on preferred iPhone sizes, showing percentages of male and female respondents who like bigger iPhones, find them too big, or prefer compact models.
Screen size survey results [SellCell]



A small group of 12.1% of the survey wanted to go back to the times of Mini models of iPhones, hoping that a new compact variant will be introduced.

When split down further to male and female responses, men were happier to use a bigger iPhone than women, at 62.1% to 47.8%. However 41.5% of women said that iPhones are getting too big versus 24.4 of male responses.

Slow your roll(out)



On the introduction of Apple Intelligence and the realization that most features won't be available at launch, consumers are still fine with waiting for them to arrive.

When asked if they're happy to wait an extra month to get AI features on an iPhone 16, 82.1% agreed with the wait. Only 17.9% said that the features should be launched alongside the iPhone 16 in September.




Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    charlesncharlesn Posts: 1,181member
    Could a survey be any more preposterous than one which concludes that the #2 priority for iPhone upgraders is "thermal management?!" New features? AI? Faster speeds? New colors? Better battery life? Nah, what the people REALLY want is better thermal management. Absolutely ridiculous on the face of it, yet this stupidity gets published. 
    DAalsethmuthuk_vanalingamnubusdewmezeus423
  • Reply 2 of 15
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 3,058member
    I find it interesting that barely 1/5th of the respondents view AI as the most important feature. For all the press and the hype just shy of 4/5 aren’t that interested. 

    charlesn said:
    Could a survey be any more preposterous than one which concludes that the #2 priority for iPhone upgraders is "thermal management?!" New features? AI? Faster speeds? New colors? Better battery life? Nah, what the people REALLY want is better thermal management. Absolutely ridiculous on the face of it, yet this stupidity gets published. 
    This is why surveys are so tricky. It sounds like they had a list of things and asked people what was most important, so nothing received a majority. If they had instead asked on each one if it was most important, somewhat important, slightly important, or not important, they would have been able to determine relative importance more clearly. I suspect thermal management was an issue on a lot of people’s list, but the other choices, price, AI, etc., ended up split up to make it seem more significant that it really is for most people. 
    edited August 19 williamlondonjeffharris
  • Reply 3 of 15
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,651member
    The same company, SellCell, running the same survey roughly this same time last year said:
    "Overall, 66% of iPhone users said that they will be looking to upgrade to an iPhone 15", 
    which is a higher percentage of owners than potential up-graders this year.

    It does not appear users followed through. IMO SellCell runs an extremely unreliable survey. But hey, they got their name in the news today. :)
    edited August 19 nubuscharlesnh4y3sdewme
  • Reply 4 of 15
    Pricing and AI are no brainers, but there are other considerations not listed. My phone is an extension of my office as a builder and I’ve only updated when there has been a worthwhile shift forwards in practical features, including; OS speed, battery life, screen brightness, recycled materials, RAM & storage, camera quality, optical zoom. If you hold on and buy in a good year they generally last longer (3gs, 4s, 7, 11, 14pro were all good model years IMO). Rather spend money on my family, home, truck and hobbies than new IT gear every year!
    edited August 19
  • Reply 5 of 15
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,976member
    DAalseth said:
    I find it interesting that barely 1/5th of the respondents view AI as the most important feature. For all the press and the hype just shy of 4/5 aren’t that interested. 
    As previously pointed out, there are some results that seem to cast strong doubt on the validity of this survey, so I don't think there is anything to be made of that or any other number.
    dewmewilliamlondon
  • Reply 6 of 15
    AppleZuluAppleZulu Posts: 2,186member
    Eh. The survey is probably accurate insofar as it indicates pricing and new features will influence any decision to upgrade. Beyond that, there's probably not much here worth examining.

    This is yet another example of reporting on information devoid of statistical validity. In this case, the only known characteristic of those surveyed is that they currently own an iPhone. As we all should know, it's by design that interest in upgrading skews inversely in relation to the newness of each person's current iPhone. Without separating owners by (and controlling for) the model of each respondent's current phone, the percentage stat for people who "said they will be upgrading to the new iPhone" is virtually meaningless.

     This is an all-too-common problem with reporting in popular media on studies and surveys across the board. Those writing up the reports either don't know or don't care about statistics, and as a result, end up reporting information that has little or no statistical validity or end up reporting on actual scientific research, but draw conclusions that are not actually claimed by or supported by the source research.

     "Listicles" are among the worst examples of the former. They'll report on the top ten cities for something or other, and when you look at the methodology, you'll see they've cobbled together unrelated data to come up with "indicators" to which they then give arbitrary weight in a formula that will yield "points" with which they then use to rank order the 100% meaningless results.

     Alternatively, reports on the health benefits of popular foods or beverages will often draw sensational conclusions that aren't supported by the sourced research. A research paper will perhaps find that a chemical found in Agave plants might have some potential health benefit in the form of antioxidants. The study will clearly note that the process of distilling agave extracts will remove that chemical, and yet there will still inevitably be click-bait-ready reports that incorrectly refer to the study and claim it says that drinking tequila prevents cancer.
    edited August 19 williamlondon
  • Reply 7 of 15
    In regards to Apple Intellegence, my concerns is being able to opt out. I’m tired of getting all this AI crap getting shoved down my throat from all the tech companies 
    williamlondon
  • Reply 8 of 15
    charlesncharlesn Posts: 1,181member
    In regards to Apple Intellegence, my concerns is being able to opt out. I’m tired of getting all this AI crap getting shoved down my throat from all the tech companies 
    Just curious: what exactly is "all this AI crap" that's getting shoved down your throat? I can't think of any interaction I've had with AI that wasn't the result of my choice. There's no need to "opt out" when I can simply not use its assistance. 
    edited August 19 williamlondon
  • Reply 9 of 15
    In regards to Apple Intellegence, my concerns is being able to opt out. I’m tired of getting all this AI crap getting shoved down my throat from all the tech companies 
    Calm down Chicken Little, you don't have to opt-out of an opt-in system.
  • Reply 10 of 15
    doggonedoggone Posts: 401member
    I upgraded last year and Apple have started that the AI features would work on that phone.  So I will probably skip this year.  I can understand the price issue.  iPhones are generally going up in price every year and at some point that has to take a toil.  
  • Reply 11 of 15
    JFC_PAJFC_PA Posts: 947member
    The annual handwringing begins! Pricing ! Battery life! Headphone jack port! Jobs still being dead! Lack of an innovative holographic projector!

    it must be August. 


    zeus423
  • Reply 12 of 15
    I’m happy with my iPhone Pro 13. 
    I use mine mainly for navigation when driving or traveling abroad. 
    And with 1TB of storage, for music. 1000+ Apple Lossless recordings ripped so far.
    Texting, too.
    I may speak on the phone a few times a week. That’s it.

    The camera’s optical zoom in the newer model sounds interesting. 
    AI? Whatever. I haven’t played with it at all. At some point, no doubt. 

    trump in chains rowing on a Roman galleon sitting next to Charlton Heston? 
    edited August 20
  • Reply 13 of 15
    charlesn said:
    In regards to Apple Intellegence, my concerns is being able to opt out. I’m tired of getting all this AI crap getting shoved down my throat from all the tech companies 
    Just curious: what exactly is "all this AI crap" that's getting shoved down your throat? I can't think of any interaction I've had with AI that wasn't the result of my choice. There's no need to "opt out" when I can simply not use its assistance. 
    Take Adobe for example. You’re constantly bombarded with their generative stuff. And in order to opt out, it’s done in a way that is not user friendly

    williamlondon said:
    In regards to Apple Intellegence, my concerns is being able to opt out. I’m tired of getting all this AI crap getting shoved down my throat from all the tech companies 
    Calm down Chicken Little, you don't have to opt-out of an opt-in system.
    when you have crap that is trained by stealing people’s work, but claiming it’s done “ethically” it’s hard to stay calm.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 14 of 15
    zeus423zeus423 Posts: 272member
    I will most likely upgrade my 12 for a 16 depending on what kind of offer T-mobile has at the time. There is a sweet spot for upgrading and having a great deal from the various carriers. Wait too long and your trusty phone just doesn't get much trade-in value.
  • Reply 15 of 15
    charlesn said:
    In regards to Apple Intellegence, my concerns is being able to opt out. I’m tired of getting all this AI crap getting shoved down my throat from all the tech companies 
    Just curious: what exactly is "all this AI crap" that's getting shoved down your throat? I can't think of any interaction I've had with AI that wasn't the result of my choice. There's no need to "opt out" when I can simply not use its assistance. 
    Take Adobe for example. You’re constantly bombarded with their generative stuff. And in order to opt out, it’s done in a way that is not user friendly

    williamlondon said:
    In regards to Apple Intellegence, my concerns is being able to opt out. I’m tired of getting all this AI crap getting shoved down my throat from all the tech companies 
    Calm down Chicken Little, you don't have to opt-out of an opt-in system.
    when you have crap that is trained by stealing people’s work, but claiming it’s done “ethically” it’s hard to stay calm.
    Move those goal posts.
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