New research shows that iPhone satisfaction among Apple peaked with the iPhone 13, and the iPhone 14 experienced a major drop.
According to a PerfectRec investigationquoted in Web Pro Newseach generation of Apple iPhone has been rated higher than the last, starting with the iPhone 6. Those ratings peaked with the iPhone 13, particularly the iPhone 13 Pro Max, and they decreased substantially with the iPhone 14.
In fact, the iPhone 14 is ranked lower than the iPhone 8. PerfectRec notes that overall, iPhones have gotten better with each generation, while customers have also favorably reviewed more products over time. Both of these factors probably contributed to the increase in customer satisfaction with the iPhone.
iPhone 14 ratings
Unfortunately, the iPhone 14 did not bring as many improvements and changes as previous generationswhich the report blames for the drop in ratings.
“What happened with the iPhone 14, we suspect, is that the rate of improvement simply didn’t match customer expectations. There wasn’t a big new must-have feature and consumers didn’t find the incremental improvements worthwhile, so fewer of them rated it five stars as a result”, analyzes a critic.
“Main reviewers generally described the iPhone 14’s performance improvements as “modest” and “a small improvement”.
This perception was probably reinforced by Apple’s decision to reuse the A15 chip from the iPhone 13 Pro in the base model of the iPhone 14, a decision that is usually reserved for its lowest-priced offerings. This was the first time Apple had reused a previous-generation chip in a new flagship phone, and it wasn’t the only reused component to disappoint fans.
Apple didn’t upgrade the base model iPhone 14’s 60hz refresh rate or replace the much-maligned “notch” with a true hole-punch lens that many observers expected them to do. Instead, the notch remained on the base model of the iPhone 14 and got a slight update to the Dynamic Island on the 14 Pro and Pro Max.
The conclusion of the report is that Apple will need to do something innovative with the iPhone 15 if it wants to regain the level of customer satisfaction it once had.