These are the reasons why iPhone users won't upgrade to a new model this year

Yesterday we told you about a survey of over 2,000 U.S. iPhone owners conducted by SellCell that resulted in 61.9% of the respondents stating that they planned to upgrade to one of the new iPhone 16 models. The number one reason why iPhone users planned to buy one of the new iPhone 16 series handsets is the pricing of the line which was cited by 30.9% of those surveyed. A later leak revealed that pricing for the four iPhone 16 models will remain the same from last year except for one model, the iPhone 16 Pro.

The leak calls for the iPhone 16 Pro to start at $1,099, a $100 increase year-over-year. However, the base storage for the phone is rising from 128GB to 256GB which is what Apple did with the price tag for the iPhone 15 Pro Max last year. While the starting price of the iPhone 16 Pro phone is expected to be $100 higher, the minimum storage capacity will now reportedly be 256GB instead of 128GB.

If 61.9% of 2,000 iPhone users surveyed said that they would upgrade to a new iPhone 16 series model, that means that there are current iPhone users who aren't planning to spend any money to upgrade their handset. Ironically, those not upgrading to an iPhone 16 series iPhone mention the same thing that is keeping them from shelling out for a new 2024 iPhone. It's the price. 34.2% of the 2,000 iPhone users surveyed said that they can't afford to upgrade because the new models are too expensive and they can't afford to buy one.

The second reason those surveyed aren't buying a new iPhone this year is that they want to keep their old unit. That was the response from 34.1% who don't plan on upgrading. This percentage is just a tick below the 34.2% that named the price as their reason for standing pat this year.

12.8% said that they can't upgrade to a new iPhone this year because they still are obligated to pay off their current phone and are waiting to do that first. 5.5% have a familiar complaint keeping them from buying a new iPhone this year and that is that the features and specs are too similar year-over-year. 5.1% say that they plan on buying an older iPhone model while 5% are waiting to see what the iPhone SE 4 will be all about. The latest rumors call for the phone to resemble the iPhone 14.

The iPhone 17 series is expected to be a major upgrade for the iPhone. The Pro models could feature under-display Face ID and other changes. 3.3% of those surveyed said that they won't upgrade this year because they are waiting for the 2025 iPhones. And .1% said that they are switching from the iPhone to a different brand.

We are awaiting official word from Apple as to the date and time when the iPhone 16 series will be officially announced.