iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus outperforming Pro models during the opening weekend

Ming-Chi Kuo, TF International’s Apple analyst, is one of the most respected equity analysts that cover the tech giant. Kuo is believed to have impeccable sources inside the company. In a tweet that he posted on Sunday, Kuo wrote, “Phone 16 first weekend pre-order analysis: estimated total sales of about 37 million units; Pro series demand lower than expected.” On the other hand, sales of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus were higher than last year’s opening pre-order numbers for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.

Kuo’s analysis of iPhone 16 series pre-orders showed:

iPhone 16 Pro Max sales down 16% compared to last year.
iPhone 16 Pro sales down 27% compared to last year.
iPhone 16 Plus up 48% compared to last year.
iPhone 16 up 10% compared to last year.

One thing that we can take away from these figures is that demand this weekend for the non-Pro models improved more than the demand seen for the 16 Pro handsets. The 37 million phones sold overall is down 12.7% from the number of iPhone 15 models purchased during the opening weekend of pre-orders last year.

Analyst Kuo analyzes iPhone 16 pre-orders. | Image credit-Ming-Chi Kuo

Thanks to higher production yields for the Tetraprism periscope camera, which Apple is adding to the iPhone 16 Pro model this year, the company was able to increase production of its top-of-the-line iPhone 16 Pro Max to 6 million units before launch, a 106% increase year-over-year. Kuo adds that he believes that Apple could turn to more aggressive product strategies next year should Apple Intelligence not help increase iPhone 16 shipments in 2025.

“One of the key factors for the lower-than-expected demand for the iPhone 16 Pro series is that the major selling point, Apple Intelligence, is not available at launch alongside the iPhone 16 release. Additionally, intense competition in the Chinese market continues to impact iPhone demand.”-Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple analyst, TF International

All four iPhone 16 models, the iPhone 15 Pro, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max have 8GB of RAM which means that those models can support Apple’s AI initiative known as Apple Intelligence. Some of the new AI features won’t be available for the iPhone 15 Pro models and the iPhone 16 phones until October when iOS 18.1 is released. Some features won’t be available until December when iOS 18.2 is dropped. Other features will come next year. You can check out the roadmap in this article.

If you want to experience Apple Intelligence without delay, those who purchased an iPhone 16 model can install iOS 18.1 beta once they receive their handset. This is also possible for iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max owners. Outside of battery life, installing the iOS 18.1 Beta on my iPhone 15 Pro Max has not resulted in any issues. Just make sure you back up your phone first before installing the Beta.

Apple had pre-orders for 37 million iPhone 16 units this opening weekend. | Image credit-Ming-Chi Kuo

Before the pre-orders started this past Friday, Apple had shipped 4.2 million iPhone 16 units, 1.3 million iPhone 16 Plus units, 5.5 million iPhone 16 Pro units, and 6 million iPhone 16 Pro Max units. Because of the lower number of pre-orders, delivery times for the iPhone 16 Pro models have been faster than the delivery times for the iPhone 15 Pro units last year.

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