Interest in Switching to iPhone Drops Among Android Users Ahead of iPhone 13 Launch, Survey Shows

Android users are significantly less interested in the iPhone 13 models than they were this time last year in the iPhone 12 models, having been put off by the continued lack of a fingerprint scanner and concerns around child safety features, according to a new survey by SellCell.

The survey, conducted earlier this month, asked more than 5,000 current Android users in the United States aged 18 or over for their opinions about Apple’s upcoming products, revealing how the ‌iPhone 13‌ and Apple’s other expected products are viewed by customers of the rival platform ahead of their launch.

The survey found that 18.3 of Android users would consider switching to an ‌iPhone 13‌. This is a significant decline from last year when 33.1 percent of Android users were open to switching to an ‌iPhone 12‌ model.

Of the ‌iPhone 13‌ lineup, expected to consist of a 5.4-inch ‌iPhone 13‌ mini, a 6.1-inch ‌iPhone 13‌, a 6.1-inch ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro, and a 6.7-inch ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro Max, 39.8 percent of the Android users open to switching are most interested in the ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro Max. 36.1 percent are most interested in the ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro, 19.5 percent are most interested in the ‌iPhone 13‌, and just 4.6 are interested in the ‌iPhone 13‌ mini.

This matches broad trends around the iPhone lineup among existing ‌iPhone‌ users, where the 6.7-inch model is very popular while the 5.4-inch “mini” form factor has generally been marginalized and suffered from low sales.

When the potential switchers were asked what would compel them to switch to an ‌iPhone 13‌ model, 51.4 percent cited longer software support, 23.8 percent cited the Apple ecosystem, and 11.4 percent cited better privacy.

31.9 percent of Android users said that the ‌iPhone 13‌’s lack of a fingerprint scanner for authentication was the main reason they will not consider switching. 16.7 percent said that they will not consider switching due to iOS’s limited customization, 12.8 percent pointed to iOS’s lack of support for sideloading apps, 12.1 cited general design and hardware, and 10.4 said that “intrusive” scanning for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) was the main reason for not switching.

Of the Android users that are interested in buying an ‌iPhone 13‌, only 14.7 percent were also interested in buying an accompanying Apple Watch Series 7. Likewise, only 6.2 percent were interested in buying third-generation AirPods.

The official unveiling of the ‌iPhone 13‌, Apple Watch Series 7, and third-generation ‌AirPods‌ is believed to be just weeks away, and while major design changes are not expected for the Phone this year, we can likely count on a number of camera improvements, ProRes video recording, a 120Hz ProMotion display, a smaller notch, a faster A-series processor, a new 5G chip from Qualcomm, and more.