In a survey by Savings.com — a website designed to “help you find coupons and save money” — just 1-in-10 iPhone users aid they planned to upgrade to the newest iPhone when it’s released. Twenty-six percent said they weren’t sure yet. Nearly 2-in-3 said they wouldn’t be changing out their current phone for the latest model.
Still, with an estimated 116 million iPhone users in the U.S., that could equate to almost 12 million surefire sales if the phone launches, and another 30 million if undecided users end up making the switch.
While men and women share similar upgrade plans, the age of their current phone had a major impact on iPhone users’ plans to buy the new model, according to Savings.com. Seventy percent of people who plan to upgrade have owned their phones for two years or less, including one in three who have phones no older than one year.
According to Savings.com, low earth orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity — which allows smartphone users to make calls and send texts while out of cell tower range — is the most popular rumored upgrade among current iPhone users planning to buy the new model when it comes out.
Twenty-seven percent of people who said they would buy the iPhone 13 said satellite connectivity was the single rumored feature that appealed most to them, followed by 22% who are most looking forward to camera improvements. A larger battery capacity is the third most popular new feature that may ship on the iPhone 13.
While men and women planning to upgrade equally look forward to some of the phone’s improvements, they were split on several of the biggest rumored features. Nearly one in three men said LEO connectivity was the feature that excited them most (compared to 21% of women), while a similar percentage of women said camera improvements were driving their decision the most (compared to 14% of men). They were also split on better processing power, with 20% of men saying this was their favorite new feature compared to just six percent of women.
In other words, men seem most excited about internal technical improvements, while women are most eager to have improved camera and video functionality from their iPhones.
Among those who said they weren’t planning to upgrade or weren’t sure yet, only 31 percent indicated that they couldn’t pinpoint a feature that would persuade them to upgrade now, notes Savings.com. Many of the same rumored new features that are driving those already planning to upgrade are motivating for holdouts, too.
Twenty percent said larger battery capacity would persuade them, followed by satellite connectivity (17%) and camera improvements (11%). Holdouts appear to be more motivated by battery capacity improvements than those definitely planning to upgrade.
About 7% of people who aren’t planning to upgrade said they had “other” features in mind that could convince them to switch to the latest model. By far the most common answer from this small group of people was affordability. A majority of those who gave Savings.com their own unique reason why they might upgrade said if the phones were more affordable, they’d consider it. With a price tag that will probably be near or over $1,000 for most models, it’s little wonder why so many holdouts are hung up on price. Other users are simply hanging onto their old devices until they totally give out.
The folks at Savings.com surveyed 1,531 U.S. iPhone users 18 and older about their plans to upgrade their devices when Apple introduces its next model, expected to be named iPhone 13. They asked about their upgrade plans, their current phones, and which expected features appealed to them most. The survey was conducted online Sept. 1-2, 2021.
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