Bad News for iPhone 11: Survey Predicts 30% Sales Drop

News
By published

Even worse than last year

iPhone 11 dummy unit
(Image credit: MKBHD/YouTube)

Things are not looking good for the iPhone 11. Some of its rumored “new” features already exist in many Android phones. The leaked benchmarks look disturbingly low. And the polarizing notched design is reportedly getting a rear camera patch that many don't find attractive. 

And now a new national survey say that there’s 28% less planned purchases than last year.

A nationally representative survey of over 1,600 respondents conducted by WalletHub — a personal finance site — from August 19 to August 23 showed that 28% less people plan on buying the new generation iPhone that last year. That differential right off the bat is pretty huge. WalletHub has been doing these surveys for a while now, so it’s quite indicative, too.

How is Apple expecting consumers to buy a phone that looks largely the same as previous models — with features like bi-directional charging or three-camera photography that have been in Android phones for some time now — at a premium price point? Not surprisingly, some analysts are pointing out that the iPhone 11 will be a “yawner” and “struggle”. 

Perhaps Apple knows this and it’s ok with it, passing over this one to go straight for the 2020 gold, with a new affordable midrange phone (maybe the return of the iPhone SE) a smaller form factor, and Touch ID built into the screen. But 2019 is not looking good based on this survey and other analyst predictions.

But the perfect storm for Apple may be a combination of public perception and the market situation: The 2019 WalletHub survey has also found out that 144 million Americans only buy a new phone when their current device breaks. People don’t fawn over new iPhone releases anymore. Or any other phone, for that matter. 

They have become commodities and expensive ones. The reason may be that 94% of Americans think that phones are getting way too expensive, according to the survey, with only 18% willing to pay $1,000 for one. About 48% would only pay $300 upfront while 32% say $500.

More bad news. Just last week another study from service provider Ting said that 55% of phone owners are holding onto their handsets for 3 years or more. 

Jesus Diaz
Jesus Diaz

Jesus Diaz founded the new Sploid for Gawker Media after seven years working at Gizmodo, where he helmed the lost-in-a-bar iPhone 4 story and wrote old angry man rants, among other things. He's a creative director, screenwriter, and producer at The Magic Sauce, and currently writes for Fast Company and Tom's Guide.