For a long time, the base iPhone models have tended to be the most popular, but in recent years that trend has changed, with Apple's Pro and Pro Max devices increasingly proving the biggest sellers.
That’s more true than ever right now, with the iPhone 15 Pro Max having a 23% share of iPhone sales in the US in March 2024, according Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP). Their report – spotted by Apple Insider – puts the iPhone 15 Pro in the number two spot, with a 22% share.
The standard iPhone 15 is way behind with a 14% share. And the iPhone 15 Plus? That has just a 9% share.
In March 2023, the Pro models had a similar share to this year, with the iPhone 14 Pro having a 22% share and the iPhone 14 Pro Max having a 24% share, so the shift towards Pro models had already started then. But what’s interesting is that the base iPhone 14 had a higher 19% share than the iPhone 15's 14% share this year, so the base models are continuing to drop in popularity.
As well as people choosing Pro models, this continued drop is down to buyers choosing older iPhones; right now, for instance, as many people are buying the iPhone 14 as the iPhone 15.
So, it seems people either want the best phone they can get their hands on, or they’re happy with something older (and likely much cheaper), with the middle ground of a new base model iPhone proving less appealing than it once did.
No love for the iPhone 15's upgrades
In some ways, this phenomenon is surprising, as the iPhone 15 is a substantial step up from the iPhone 14, adding things like a Dynamic Island, a 48MP main camera, and a USB-C port.
But then again, Apple’s insistence on sticking with a 60Hz refresh rate on the base models is increasingly ridiculous, and the recent switch to equipping these phones with year-old chipsets probably isn’t helping drive sales, either.
So, there’s certainly some logic to going Pro if you buy a new iPhone, and as CIRP notes, "we also suspect some economic pressure to reduce spending, when possible, and a generational trend toward sustainability and away from always wanting the newest thing." The firm concludes that "together, these factors put pressure on the newest base model and pumped-up demand for the one- and two-year old alternatives."
There’s a chance, though, that this will change with the iPhone 16 line, at least partially, as leaks suggest the base iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will have an entirely new chipset, rather than being stuck with last year's version. They might also gain both the Action button (a feature that the iPhone 15 Pro already has) and a new Capture button (which no iPhone yet has).
So, Apple might not reserve quite as much for the Pro models this time around. That said, all signs point to the iPhone 16 still having a 60Hz refresh rate, and it’s likely that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will have better cameras. So buyers who simply want the best will still, of course, pick a Pro.
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