Users had never been so disappointed with an iPhone since 2012. The iPhone 14 is indeed the first Apple smartphone to record a drop in 5-star consumer reviews.
Every year, Apple releases a new iPhone that brings improvements and new features over the previous generation. All iPhone generations are generally very well received by users. Nevertheless, the iPhone 14, some models of which are manufactured in Brazil, is the first iPhone since 2012 that hasn’t been so popular to users.
PerfectRec analyzed over 669,000 user-generated reviews on the iPhone 14. It’s the first time in over a decade that consumer ratings have fallen sharply from the previous generation. So it’s the biggest disappointment for consumers since 2012, but that didn’t stop the iPhone 14 Pro from being voted smartphone of the year 2022.
iPhone 14 5-star review percentage dropped 8% from iPhone 13
PerfectRec studied the percentage of 5-star reviews for each iPhone released between 2012 and 2022. Every year, the base iPhone model is the best-selling with the most user-generated reviews. In 2012, when the iPhone 5 was released, there were 65% 5-star ratings. The iPhone 13 achieved 80% 5-star reviews when it was released in 2021.
The next year, iPhone 14 dropped to 72% 5-star reviews. It’s not a huge drop either, but Apple’s smartphones haven’t fallen this low since the iPhone 8 in 2017 (71%). As PerfectRec clarified, there’s also ” a similar drop in 5-star review percentage for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max ».
The iPhone 14’s drop to 5 stars is probably due to the rather modest improvements of the smartphone. For example, this is the first time that Apple has decided to reuse a previous generation processor. The iPhone 14 and 14 Plus are actually equipped with the A15 chip like the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max. Only the Pro and Pro Max models of the iPhone 14 have the latest A16 chip.
Let’s also not forget that the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus kept the notch while the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max welcomed the new Dynamic Island. In any case, the iPhone 15 expected for the fall of 2023 may be able to climb the slope with its new features and in particular the USB-C port.
