iPhone 13's battery life is more important than price or design, say buyers

And only a quarter of people want Apple to return a charger to the iPhone 13 box

iPhone 12 Pro in blue finish, with the rear panel and camera visible, against a yellow background
(Image credit: Future)

With the iPhone 13 set to be unveiled at next week's Apple Event, we'll finally find out whether Apple's new phone can possibly deliver what everyone wants to see. What does everyone want to see? Well, Uswitch.com actually asked people, and the results surprised me in many cases (though very much not in other cases).

The feature that the most people requested was "Improved battery life", with 35% of respondents requesting that. I'm surprised that wasn't more, to be honest – who doesn't want more battery life from phones even if you don't technically need? Can't have too much of it, I say.

Anyway, the good news is that all the rumours say to expect at least an extra hour of battery life from the new iPhones when compared to the iPhone 12, so those people will get their wish.

Interestingly, "A different general design" was down at number 10 on the list, with just 14% of people feeling like the iPhone's look needs to change much. For all the talk online of Apple needing to get rid of the notch and catch up with the best Android phones in that regard, people really don't seem to care at large.

Second on the list with 34% was "Cheaper price", and thankfully for those people, the rumours that Apple would raise the prices of its handsets this year has settled down, and we're expecting the prices to stay the same. So while we don't expect them to get what they want, at least it doesn't look like it'll go the other way.

Next on the list was "A charger in the box" with 27%. While this might be third on the list of most-wanted features, I think it's notable that 73% of people didn't feel the need to highlight as something they want, meaning that Apple probably feels pretty safe in its decision to drop it in the first place.

Next up, both with 22%, are "An upgrade to the camera" and "Faster processor", and these people will both undoubtedly find themselves satisfied, because these are the changes Apple never, ever leaves out. I mean, I'm not sure who's been using the iPhone 12 and feeling like it needs more speed, to be honest, but evidently there's plenty of you out there.

Then we have "Better screen resolution" with 21% (it's 460ppi, people! It's fine!) and "An edition with 1TB storage" with 17% (I am struggling to believe that 17% of iPhone 13 buyers will choose a 1TB version, but okay).

Uswitch also says that four million people are hoping to buy an iPhone 13 as soon as it comes out, and the biggest reason people stick with iPhones rather than switching is ease of use, while 38% cite brand loyalty as a reason.

Matthew Bolton

Matt is T3's former AV and Smart Home Editor (UK), master of all things audiovisual, overseeing our TV, speakers and headphones coverage. He also covered smart home products and large appliances, as well as our toys and games articles. He's can explain both what Dolby Vision IQ is and why the Lego you're building doesn't fit together the way the instructions say, so is truly invaluable. Matt has worked for tech publications for over 10 years, in print and online, including running T3's print magazine and launching its most recent redesign. He's also contributed to a huge number of tech and gaming titles over the years. Say hello if you see him roaming the halls at CES, IFA or Toy Fair. Matt now works for our sister title TechRadar.