High price that was not justified
Apple has been rumored to introduce price cuts to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus this year, suggesting from the beginning that one major reason why the iPhone 14 Plus failed was because it was too expensive. For $899, the consumer in the U.S. was just $100 away from upgrading to the iPhone 14 Pro and acquiring a boatload of upgrades, which included a cutting-edge SoC, the A16 Bionic. The value proposition simply is not there. In 2021, when Apple announced the iPhone 13 series, the 6.1-inch model was the only model standing between you and the iPhone 13 Pro purchase. So what is the price difference here? A whopping $300 between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro. If Apple had the intention to bring price competitiveness to the table, the iPhone 14 Plus should have retailed for $799, and even then, there would be a smaller $200 difference between it and the iPhone 14 Pro. Still, consumers would have justified this difference and possibly picked one of these up had it been priced lower. So then, if that is the case, why doesn’t Apple lower the iPhone 14 Plus’ price right now? It is because Apple does not want to give its consumers and the press unwanted attention that it is a discounted brand.
Lack of compelling upgrades
Imagine paying $899 for a phone and still getting a dual camera at the back. What about the lack of a high refresh rate display or the adoption of an older-generation chipset? Yes, these are justifiable reasons why Apple did not see any success with the iPhone 14 Plus. Sure, the bigger display gives you more screen real estate, and the larger size means a bigger battery, but that is expected from a product when you shell out $899 for it. The Galaxy S22 Plus is cheaper than the iPhone 14 Plus, and not only does it feature three cameras at the back, but a high refresh rate display too.
Slowdown of the economy has eaten into people’s purchasing power
At the end of the day, whether you hate or love Apple’s products, one immutable fact is that the iPhone sells in droves. However, when you are forced to either pay your monthly bills or fork over the same amount of money for an iPhone, what would you choose? Anyone in the world would love to own the latest and greatest iPhone, but not at the expense of having the added pressure of bearing the cost of living. Also, when some consumers make an expensive purchase, they think long-term. In this case, an iPhone 14 Plus’ dual camera and slower 60Hz display can become limiting to the user experience, so why not spend a little more money, get the iPhone 14 Pro and hold onto it for a few more years? Seems like a prudent decision when you want to budget out for the rest of the year. We have provided a poll below what we believe could be one or more reasons why the iPhone 14 Plus did not garner the success that Apple envisioned. If you believe that no reason exists in the poll, give your opinion in the comments.
