The delayed Apple Intelligence launch hasn't put off potential iPhone 16 buyers, survey shows

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.

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