Demand for iPhone 16 Pro lower than anticipated: analyst

First-weekend sales of the iPhone 16 series saw a 13% drop compared to the iPhone 15 series.

Apple's new iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models have seen lower-than-expected demand, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's post on Medium.

In a report based on a supply chain survey and shipping estimates, Kuo said first-weekend sales of the iPhone 16 series totaled approximately 37 million units, a 13% drop compared to the iPhone 15 series.

The decline is attributed to weaker demand for the Pro models, with iPhone 16 Pro sales down 27% and iPhone 16 Pro Max sales down 16% compared to their predecessors.

"The delivery times of the iPhone 16 Pro series are significantly shorter than those of the 15 Pro series. In addition to the shipment increase before the pre-order, the key is that demand is lower than expected, as evidenced by the YoY decline in first-weekend sales," said Kuo in his post.

While the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus have performed better than last year’s models, it hasn’t been enough to counterbalance the Pro models' performance.

Kuo noted that one reason for the lower demand is that Apple Intelligence, a key feature, will not be available until iOS 18.1 launches in October. Additionally, intense competition in China is also impacting sales.