IPhone 13s Generated 71% of Apple's Q1 Phone Sales, Says CIRP

The iPhone 13 accounted for 38% of Apple's Q1 phone sales, the largest share for a single Apple model since the iPhone 11 grabbed 37% in March 2020, but iPhone mini models “continue to attract few buyers,” reported Consumer Intelligence Research Partners Thursday. The downsized 13 and 12 series iPhone minis had 3% sales each in the quarter. All four iPhone 13 models combined for 71% of Apple’s U.S. smartphone sales in the March quarter vs. the comparable 12 series phones a year ago with 61%, said the research firm. Buyers are keeping their previous phone for less time, reversing a long-time trend, CIRP said. In March, a fifth of buyers said they had their previous phone for three years or longer vs. about a third who said so the prior year. In the March quarter, 47% of buyers had their previous phone for two years or less vs. 35% in the year-ago quarter. “Since the market shifted to unsubsidized phone sales on installment contracts, the age of old phones climbed as owners enjoyed using their paid-for phones,” but that trend reversed, “perhaps as options for trading-in high value used phones continued to improve,” said analyst Mike Levin. Older models are selling well, Levin said: The iPhone 11, introduced over two years ago, and iPhone XR, from over three years ago, combined with the iPhone SE for 15% of sales in March.