iPhone 16, iPhone 15 or iPhone 14, What Buyers Are Showering Their Love On; Get Set For Surprise

The latest Apple iPhone series, the iPhone 16, is leading the pack in terms of popularity, but where do iPhone 15 or iPhone 14 stand in the mix? The answer is a surprising one as revealed by the latest Apple customer survey conducted by CIRP. So, if you want to know what iPhone buyers are showering their love on, the survey reveals the their purchasing habits. 

The new Apple iPhone 16 models, the base iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, are hogging as much as 68% of US iPhone sales during the December quarter of 2024, the survey shows. During the same period in 2023, iPhone 15 models, had held 65% of the market. So, yes, it is an improvement.

However, in what will worry Apple, sales of the most expensive iPhones, the iPhone 16 Pro Max, are down vis a vis the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The iPhone 16 Pro Max saw its sales rise to 23% overall in Dec. 2024 quarter vis a vis the iPhone 15 Pro Max's 26% in Dec. 2024 quarter.

The combined shipments of iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models amounted to 39% of total iPhone sales during this period marking the lowest Pro model share observed in five years. Buyers are turning thrifty, it looks like.

Notably, iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro sales comparison shows that both managed to hold 16% share.

The iPhone 16 base model attracted 21% of total sales while demonstrating improved performance over the 15% market share from the previous year's iPhone 15 base model. Recent sales figures show that iPhone users are choosing base models as they appeal to customers seeking budget-friendly options without compromising too much on features. It may well point to the fact that most people simply don't require the professional-grade bells and whistles that the Pro Max iPhones offer.

In the Dec. 2024 quarter, the sale of iPhone 14 surpassed the previous year's iPhone 13 numbers as demand pulled iPhone 14 models to a 16% market share from 12% in Dec. 2023. Research indicates that consumers are extending their phone usage by keeping their older models active.

The shift in preferences raises a few questions:

1. Will potential customers choose to wait for the iPhone 17 because of promising specifications?

2. Will Apple's AI game improve? The expected artificial intelligence-capabilities (the company refers to AI as Apple Intelligence) of iPhone 16 never did materialise to match fans' desires. Things are expected to get much better with iPhone 17 as Apple gets its AI act together.

3. Are economic circumstances driving consumers to select more affordable options? 

4. Are older Pro models still doing the job for many users? 

5. Will the newly-launched Samsung Galaxy S25 grab the initiative away from iPhones after trying so hard for so many years even though it is barely different from the Galaxy S24?

Stay tuned as Apple lines up the more affordable iPhone SE 4 (aka iPhone 16e) launch sometime in early April. This is the most affordable iPhone in the entire lineup and it is expected to shake up the market.