Skip to main content

Kuo: iPhone 16 Pro demand lower than expected, iPhone 16 Plus pre-orders up 48%

According to new pre-order analysis from Ming Chi-Kuo, Apple is facing less demand for iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max than expected. iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus have had more sales compared to last year’s iPhones, though.

Kuo did some analysis over the weekend, based on ship times on Apple’s website, as well as a “supply chain survey.” Based on the first weekend of pre-orders, Kuo found the following:

  • iPhone 16 Pro Max is down 16% compared to last year
  • iPhone 16 Pro is down 27% compared to last year
  • iPhone 16 Plus is up 48% compared to last year
  • iPhone 16 is up 10% compared to last year

Interestingly, it seems like people are far more interested in the regular iPhones than the Pro models this year, especially the larger sized model.

Overall, the iPhone 16 lineup as a whole sold around 37 million units, down around 12.7% from the iPhone 15 lineup on the first weekend. Despite massive growth with the iPhone 16 Plus, the decline in iPhone 16 Pro demand is far outweighing it.

Top comment by David Call

Liked by 18 people

I’m still using an iPhone 12 mini. I’m sure I’d enjoy a new iPhone, Pro or not, but it’s so much money, and since I’m 41 and don’t really care much about unique genmoji, or generating any imagery without making it myself, and I’m plenty capable of writing/editing my own personal or business emails myself, I’d rather have the other things $1,300 gets me than a new iPhone when mine still does what I need it to.

View all comments

Kuo mentioned that higher yields on the tetraprism camera (5x telephoto) are a key factor to Apple having more supply for the iPhone 16 Pro Max than they did last year on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. According to Kuo’s numbers, Apple produced 6 million units of iPhone 16 Pro Max before launch, up 106% from what they did last year.

The analyst also says that he believes Apple could implement more aggressive iPhone product strategies in 2025 to stimulate market demand, if Apple Intelligence and other promotions have a limited effect on iPhone 16 shipments.

Did iPhone 16 interest you enough to upgrade? Let us know in the comments.

Follow Michael: X/Twitter, Threads

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

Author

Avatar for Michael Burkhardt Michael Burkhardt

Michael is 9to5Mac’s Weekend Editor, keeping up with all of the latest Apple news on Saturday and Sunday. He got started in the world of Apple news during the pandemic, and it became a growing hobby. He’s also an indie iOS developer in his free time, and has published numerous apps over the years.

Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications