iPhone 16’s Apple Intelligence won’t be the main reason people buy the phone

The iPhone 16 is just a few days away, and Apple will surely turn Apple Intelligence into the main selling point for the four upcoming phones. Everyone else in the industry is putting generative AI features front and center, with Google’s Pixel 9 series being the best example of that.

If you want Apple Intelligence in their iPhone experience, most iPhone owners will have to upgrade to the iPhone 16 in the coming weeks. That’s because only the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max currently support Apple Intelligence. Even if you think Apple Intelligence isn’t important enough, I’d still advise you to get an iPhone 16 model rather than a cheaper iPhone 15 or iPhone 14 next week.

However, not all new buyers will care about Apple Intelligence, or other new features the iPhone 16 will bring over. A new survey shows that people buy new iPhones predominantly to replace an older device, without necessarily caring about the new features on next-generation handsets.

CIRP conducted a new survey before the iPhone 16 launch, asking buyers why they purchased their latest phone. The company ran an open-ended answer survey and then grouped responses into the following categories:

• Old phone was obsolete
• Old phone was lost, broken, or stolen
• Wanted the newest features
• Carrier financial incentive
• Improve network quality, including upgrade to 5G
• Friends and family have iPhone.

As you can see in the following graph, new features only accounted for 18% of answers. The “obsolete” and “lost/broken/stolen” categories accounted for 44% and 29% respectively.

If these findings accurately depict iPhone buying sentiment for the iPhone 16 series, then only 18% of buyers will care about Apple Intelligence, the Capture button, and all the new features.

When I saw the results, I thought the obsolete category implies that owners with older iPhones want the new features in the iPhone 16 series. But there’s a clear distinction that CIRP makes:

For an obsolete phone, subjects indicate it’s just time to update a phone, or it has started to slow down with diminished performance. For a lost, broken, or stolen phone, in addition to completely inoperable phones, subjects could have a broken display or battery that refuses to hold a charge. Newest features means customers have a well-functioning phone, and seek the latest features, such as an improved camera, display, or processor.

According to the explanation above, I’m in the category of buyers who want an iPhone 16 for the new features. I own a well-functioning phone, the two-year-old iPhone 14 Pro, which I could easily keep for another year.

CIRP further explained that the obsolete category “includes some buyers whose purchase is triggered by new features on their new phone. Yet, they explain their purchase decision in terms of the condition of their old phone rather than embracing those new features.”

Furthermore, CIRP said that the more sophisticated and patient will wait for the new device or the cheaper old-gen iPhones. “We could say that the new phones motivate their purchase, though the buyers are not compelled by the newest camera or processor or form factor or color.”

CIRP’s survey data is in line with a recent study from SellCell, which also delivered bad news for Apple’s expected AI marketing efforts. SellCell asked buyers which rumored iPhone 16 features would convince them to buy one of the four models. The company found that the iPhone 16 price and rumored heat dissipation features were more compelling factors for potential buyers than Apple Intelligence.