Apple Users Underwhelmed by iPhone 13 and Apple Watch Series 7, Survey Shows

Apple device users are largely underwhelmed by the iPhone 13 lineup and the Apple Watch Series 7, according to the findings of a new survey by SellCell.

The survey asked 5,000 iPhone users aged 18 or over in the United States between September 23 and 30 what they thought of the recently announced iPhone 13 models and Apple Watch Series 7.

64 percent of users said that the iPhone 13 lineup is "not very" or "not at all" exciting. 21.5 percent felt that the iPhone 13 models are "somewhat" exciting, and only 14.4 percent said that they are "extremely" or "very exciting."

A minority of respondents, 23.3 percent, intend to upgrade to an iPhone 13 model, which is a 20.5 percent drop from a pre-launch survey conducted two months ago that put purchase intent for the iPhone 13 as high as 43.7 percent. This indicates a significant decline in interest around the iPhone 13 after it was announced.

Among the 23.3 percent that intend to upgrade to an iPhone 13 model, the 6.1-inch iPhone 13 Pro is overwhelmingly the most popular pick with 42.5 percent of responses. The 6.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max was the next most popular with 26.3 percent, followed by the standard 6.1-inch iPhone 13 with 22 percent.

The 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini continues the trend of the iPhone 12 mini, with just 9.2 percent of respondents intending to buy the smallest iPhone 13. Apple's smallest iPhones have struggled to gain traction with a significant proportion of consumers over the past year, leading to the expectation that Apple will discontinue the 5.4-inch model size in 2022 in favor of a new, larger 6.7-inch "iPhone 14 Max" model.

Of the 23.3 percent that plan to upgrade, the main reason to do so was the ProMotion display and longer battery life for 34.1 percent and 25.3 percent of respondents, respectively. 26.2 percent said that there was no clear reason to buy an iPhone 13 model but they were simply due an upgrade or were locked into a yearly upgrade or trade-in program.

The iPhone 13's camera improvements, such as larger sensors and Cinematic mode, have been among the features most heavily promoted by Apple this year, but just 5.4 percent of respondents planning to upgrade cited the camera improvements as the main reason to upgrade.

Likewise, the new 1TB storage option was only credited by 3.2 percent of users as a reason to upgrade. The much-decried notch, which finally saw a 20 percent reduction in size on the iPhone 13 models, was commended by only 1.5 percent of respondents as a main reason to upgrade.

Of the 76.8 percent of existing iPhone users who are not interested in buying an iPhone 13 model, 29.3 percent said that the lack of a Touch ID fingerprint scanner was the main factor for holding off. 19.5 percent said that there were no major features to warrant an upgrade, but other criticisms included the lack of an always-on display, a notch-free design, 120Hz on the standard models, and a USB-C port.

New color options, such as Sierra Blue and Starlight, were the main reason to upgrade for 1.1 percent of respondents. On the other hand, 2.4 percent said that dislike of the available color options was the main reason for not upgrading.

36.8 percent of those that are not planning to upgrade said that they are waiting for the iPhone 14 instead. 16.1 percent are switching to an Android device, with 45.1 percent of these users planning to buy a Google device, 41.8 percent planning to buy a Samsung device, and 8.4 percent planning to buy a OnePlus device.

With regards to the other products that Apple announced at its California Streaming special event last month, 18.2 percent of iPhone users are planning to buy a new iPad following the launch of the sixth-generation iPad mini and ninth-generation ‌iPad‌.

Like the iPhone 13, the Apple Watch Series 7 also appears to have underwhelmed users according to the survey, despite its larger display, more durable design, and faster charging. Just 7.5 percent of iPhone users said that they are planning to buy an Apple Watch Series 7 model. Pre-orders for the Apple Watch Series 7 open on Friday, October 8.