The iPhone 15 series has five major problems that still need to be improved Can the 16 series be solved?

Mobile China

2024-06-27 13:36

　　In September 2023, Apple released the latest iPhone 15 series of smartphones. More than half a year has passed since then, and according to industry research data, the market performance of the iPhone 15 series has been overshadowed by its predecessors, especially in the Chinese market. High-end products from local brands Huawei and Xiaomi have formed a strong market squeeze on the iPhone 15 series due to brand loyalty and technological innovation. On top of that, the iPhone 15 series has not been able to gain the upper hand in comparison with some Chinese brand flagship models.

　　Recently, CNMO noticed that some overseas media summarized the five major problems that need to be improved in the iPhone 15 series. The iPhone 16 series is expected to be officially launched in September or October this year, and if these slots change, the new iPhone could reverse the decline of its predecessor and allow Apple to reassert itself as a leader in the smartphone industry.

60Hz screen

　　Today, Apple's entry-level phone lineup seems to be slow to progress on high refresh rate technology, stuck at 60Hz, while its high-end series such as the iPhone 15 Pro have been upgraded to a smoother 120Hz. The refresh rate metric relates to the number of screen updates per second, which is directly related to scrolling, animation, and smoothness of the game. For gamers who are keen on high-performance gaming, a 60Hz refresh rate may not be enough for those that require more responsive controls and subtle dynamics.

　　Despite speculation, there is no conclusive information yet that the upcoming iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will break this pattern and surpass the 60Hz limit. Since the iPhone 13 Pro series, Apple has steadily introduced a 120Hz refresh rate on its Pro series, highlighting its technological leadership in high-end products, while also leaving consumers with room to expect higher refresh rates for non-Pro series.

　　At the same time, Chinese brand mobile phone manufacturers have begun to popularize high-refresh rate OLED screens on models priced at 1,000 yuan or even 100 yuan. In contrast, Apple models are already significantly behind in terms of screen refresh rate.

Small capacity battery

　　The battery life of smartphones has always been one of the biggest concerns for users. While the iPhone 15 Pro Max has impressive battery life, the base iPhone 15 is not as good as it could be, with only 20 hours of use, compared to 26 hours for the iPhone 15 Plus, 23 hours for the Pro and 29 hours for the Pro Max variants. For those who are frequently on the go or rely on their phones for work and entertainment, the battery life of the iPhone 15 may not be sufficient for all-day worry-free use. At the same price point, there is no shortage of options on the market that offer better battery performance.

　　However, there is information that the battery of the iPhone 16 series will be significantly changed, not only the capacity has been increased, but also a new battery technology has been introduced, and a large area of metal protection has been adopted on the outside of the mobile phone battery, which has improved the safety and heat dissipation efficiency of the battery.

Apple Intelligenc

　　Apple's recently announced Apple Intelligence feature is an innovative AI-based service designed to dramatically improve user efficiency and personalize the experience by intelligently aggregating notifications, emails, and more. However, this revolutionary feature is not available to the iPhone 15 and is limited to the Pro series and above models. For users who are looking to incorporate more smart elements into their phones to adapt to future technological trends, the iPhone 15 obviously cannot meet their expectations in this regard. Considering the importance of AI technology in the future mobile phone experience, this could be a key factor influencing purchase decisions.

　　Fortunately, the iPhone 16 series is not expected to have this problem, and one of the main reasons why Apple does not open up advanced AI features for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus is that the chips they use are not up to standard, while the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are expected to use the more powerful A-series chips to meet the conditions for Apple's advanced AI features.

Imaging system

　　While the Apple iPhone 15 series retains its superiority over many Android flagships in terms of video recording experience, providing its users with a superior creative platform, it fails to outperform the top devices in the Android camp in some key areas in terms of hardware specifications. The iPhone 15 Pro Max, for example, has a significantly upgraded camera system, with a 48-megapixel main camera paired with two 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle and telephoto lenses to achieve up to 5x optical zoom and up to 25x digital zoom capability, which is indeed a big step forward from its predecessor, the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

　　In contrast, however, most Android flagships are already equipped with a larger one-inch sensor, which significantly improves the camera's sensitivity and detail capture, especially in low-light environments. Unfortunately, even the rumored iPhone 16 Pro Max has yet to show a clear signal to follow this industry trend, meaning that Apple may still lag behind some Android competitors in terms of sensor size.

Prices fall

　　Apple recently highlighted the enduring value of its product design with the release of a white paper, "Longevity by Design," and announced the rollout of its "self-service repair program" in Europe. The white paper proudly notes that the iPhone retains at least 40% of its value over Android phones, and that this gap has become more pronounced over time on older devices. However, this traditional advantage seems to have suffered an exception in the iPhone 15 series.

　　Recent market feedback shows that the sales momentum of the iPhone 15 series has failed to continue the success of previous generations, resulting in Apple having to resort to a rare price reduction strategy to boost the market. During the 618 shopping festival in China, the retail price of the iPhone 15 standard version dropped from 5999 yuan to 4599 yuan, while the high-end iPhone 15 Pro Max fell from a high of 9999 yuan to about 7500 yuan, and the promotion on individual e-commerce platforms was greater, and the price fell by nearly 3000 yuan, which undoubtedly posed a challenge to the price stability of the iPhone in the new and second-hand markets, especially the direct impact on the value retention rate of the iPhone 15 series.

　　It remains to be seen whether the upcoming iPhone 16 series will be able to reverse this trend, and the key will depend on whether the new series can successfully activate market demand and bring significant technological innovation. If the iPhone 16 series can effectively return to sales growth and show significant performance improvements, then the outlook for its value retention remains positive.

summary

　　Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 16 series between September and October this year, and the rapid rise of the company, which has long led the global smartphone industry, is facing unprecedented competition from Chinese smartphone makers, and this force poses an urgent challenge for Apple. The market response to the iPhone 15 series has been like a warning bell, reminding the mobile phone industry giant that even with his halo, he must humbly plunge into a head-to-head confrontation with Chinese brands, starting a close battle between technology and the market.

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