The delayed Apple Intelligence launch hasn't put off potential iPhone 16 buyers, survey shows
They're willing to wait for iOS 18.1.
![The complete iPhone 15 lineup at Apple's Regent Street store in London, U.K.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BjFUtZ7BDZFj49NrDuxxdd-320-80.jpg)
The conventional wisdom is that Apple is getting ready to announce the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro handsets next month with September which means that people are getting ready to upgrade. But just how many people are truly planning to ditch their old phone for a shiny new one?
That was one of the questions posed by a survey that sought to get to the bottom of people's buying plans ahead of the iPhone 16 launch, and the figures suggest that there are plenty of people looking forward to upgrading day.
What's more, the survey's results suggest that the lack of a day-one Apple Intelligence launch isn't going to put buyers off, with the vast majority willing to wait until the expected October or November release of Apple's first real entry into the brand new world of AI.
It's upgrade time
The figures come courtesy of a survey by SellCell, and they make for a positive reading for Apple. Based on a pool of more than 2,000 US-based iPhone owners, almost 62% of people say that they intend to invest in a new iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro device. Those upgrading say that competitive pricing will be a key deciding factor, while a surprising 26.8% of people said that they will be pleased if Apple has been able to deal with overheating issues that plagued the current generation.
Notably, the fact that the iPhone 16 handsets won't boast Apple Intelligence on launch day isn't a problem for buyers. More than 82% of those who responded said that they "would gladly wait a month or so post-release for the iPhone 16 series’ rumored AI features."
Those Apple Intelligence features are set to arrive as part of the iOS 18.1 update that is now in developer beta. The only current models that will support the features will be the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, meaning owners of other models will have to upgrade if they want to enjoy the generative AI and Siri upgrades that Apple Intelligence will offer.
More from iMore
- iPhone 16 Pro leak at last reveals what the bronze color will look like
- Google unveils iPhone 16, Apple Watch X, and Apple Intelligence rivals
- Five reasons to skip iPhone 16 and wait for iPhone 17
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Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.