Market analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has released his latest report about Apple's iPhone 16 series, and it showed that the new smartphones are not performing that well in the market in its pre-order stage.
Kuo has done an analysis on the models' pre-order performance as well as supply chain surveys. Based on his analysis, the iPhone 16 Pro is not faring very well in the initial stages.
Apple's iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus Rise in Demand This Pre-order
In a new Medium post by Kuo, he gathered supply chain surveys and pre-order results from Apple's official website concerning the iPhone 16 series.
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus rose in demand during the first weekend of the pre-order period despite both devices having lower pre-order volumes at 4.2 and 1.3 mn units. The iPhone 16 is up by 15% year-over-year versus the iPhone 15, but the iPhone 16 Plus is down by 28% YoY.
However, its pre-order sales say otherwise, as the iPhone 16 base model saw a 10% rise YoY compared to the iPhone 15, and the iPhone 16 Plus jumped to 48% YoY in sales versus the iPhone 15 Plus.
The average delivery time for the iPhone 16 will take around one to two weeks and the iPhone 16 Plus will arrive in two to three months, said Kuo, and these estimates are based on that of Apple's
iPhone 16 Pro Models are Down
It is a different story for the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. While they have more production volume at 5.5 and 6 mn units, respectively, their pre-order numbers are down. According to Kuo's analysis, the iPhone 16 Pro is down by 27% versus the iPhone 15 Pro, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max is lower by 16% compared to its predecessor.
Kuo also revealed that the total pre-order sales on iPhone 16 models are estimated at 37 million units, which is down by 12.7% YoY from the first weekend pre-order sales of the iPhone 15 series. The iPhone 16 series has a "lower-than-expected demand," added Kuo.
The analyst also revealed that the reason behind this lower demand is because the promised Apple Intelligence will not yet be part of the device when it's shipped. Kuo also cites the growth of Chinese smartphone rivals in the market as another contributing factor.
iPhone 16: Is iPhone 17 the More Anticipated One?
The Apple fall 2024 event known as the It's Glowtime showcase introduced the world to the iPhone 16 series last week, which also happens to be the company's first-ever AI-centric smartphone that is powered by Apple Intelligence. The Cupertino-based tech giant introduced its lineup of the most powerful iPhones yet, but it will not come with Apple Intelligence at launch as it is expected to be available only later this year.
Attention has been divided as rumors regarding the iPhone 17 series have been swirling as well. These rumors have claimed that the iPhone 17 will get the most changes and features compared to the iPhone 16. Additionally, it will revamp the entire smartphone lineup, including the introduction of a new "Slim" or "Air" model.
Different leakers and speculators have claimed that users should wait for the iPhone 17 series and skip the iPhone 16 if they want to get good value for their purchase and better experiences from Apple.
Related Article: A Slim 'Air' Version of the iPhone 17 is Reportedly in the Works
