Now that pre-sales of the Apple iPhone 16 series have started, it is time to compare them to last year's. What is immediately noticeable is that the non-Pro models are proving very popular. For example, sales of the iPhone 16 Plus in particular are on the rise, up to 48% higher.
Apple announced the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max on Monday, Sept. 9. Preorders began on Friday the 13th with initial availability on Sept. 20. According to estimates, Apple has already sold 37 million iPhone 16s by now.
The entry-level iPhone 16 saw a modest 10% increase in sales over the iPhone 15. Even more popular is its Plus version; the iPhone 16 Plus went over the counter 48% more often than its predecessor.
Thick plus for iPhone 16 Plus
Remarkable, because the Plus model in particular is said to be replaced by a slimmer Air model next year due to disappointing sales numbers.
- iPhone 16: 10%
- iPhone 16 Plus: 48%
- iPhone 16 Pro: -27%
- iPhone 16 Pro Max -16%
To put things in perspective, below are the expected opening weekend sales figures. This shows that of all the models, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is by far the most sold. Of these, the starting price of all models is the highest; €1,449. So Apple doesn't have to worry about its finances for now.
- iPhone 16: 7.3 million
- iPhone 16 Plus: 2.6 million
- iPhone 16 Pro: 9.8 million
- iPhone 16 Pro Max 17.1 million
Pro models perform worse than expected
All figures cited here come from market analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has many contacts in Apple's supply chain. According to Kuo, sales of Pro models are lower than previously thought.
Perhaps this has to do with the fact that Apple Intelligence is not yet available in China. Traditionally a big market for Apple but the market share there has been declining for years.
