SlashGear Asks: Are You Planning To Upgrade To One Of The iPhone 14 Models? - Exclusive Survey
The release of a new iPhone is always an exciting time in the Apple iOS ecosystem. The phones can usually be relied on to deliver thrilling upgrades, be it new design changes or greater hardware capabilities. This time around, while there are some upgrades to be hyped up for, the changes are not quite as extensive as some of the previous generations. Did Apple deliver enough to entice users to spend hundreds of dollars on a new device? We've asked our readers to find out.
Apple announced the new iPhone 14 lineup during its recent event, including the base iPhone 14, a larger iPhone 14 Plus, and both the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max. On the outside, the phones do not differ much from their predecessors; in fact, they barely differ at all, although they're just a little bit thicker, meaning you won't be able to re-use the same phone case. In terms of specifications, there have been some changes, but it's not such a clear-cut decision as to make everyone jump on the upgrade train.
The iPhone 14 (base model) comes with a 6.1-inch screen, while the iPhone 14 Plus's screen comes in at 6.7 inches. Comparing the iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 reveals some differences, such as the removal of the physical SIM card tray for the U.S. configuration, satellite emergency SOS, and a better set of cameras — or at least a few more advanced camera features.
To upgrade or not to upgrade -- it's a difficult choice
Both the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 13 house the same A15 Bionic chip, and that's a first — Apple has usually upgraded the chips with each generation. However, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max come with the 4nm A16 Bionic chip instead.
In the past, when the generational changes were bigger, it was easier to decide whether to bid farewell to your current iPhone and splurge on an upgrade. This time, the major upgrades are locked behind a heftier price tag, because they are found in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. This could make some consumers less likely to upgrade, and that potential hesitation is reflected in our exclusive survey.
Based on a sample of 610 respondents from the United States, it's clear that the Apple customer base is pretty divided. According to our survey results, only 12.62% of respondents will upgrade to a base model of the iPhone 14, followed by 8.20% for the iPhone 14 Plus and 8.85% for the iPhone 14 Pro. The iPhone 14 Pro Max, with its premium-level features, generated the most interest and 14.43% of our readers would choose that phone if they were to upgrade.
You'll notice that we're missing a significant percentage of people not yet accounted for there — a whopping 55.90% of respondents suggested that they are not planning to upgrade at all. Whether it's the lack of groundbreaking upgrades in the base model, or perhaps the general state of the world, is hard to say, but it definitely seems that the iPhone 14 may not be the most popular model in Apple's history so far.