74% of people say they don't want their next phone to be called iPhone 13

Iphone 11 Pro Mint Mobile Hero
Iphone 11 Pro Mint Mobile Hero (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)

What you need to know

  • A whopping 74% of people surveyed by SellCell say they don't want an iPhone 13 because of the number, not the phone.
  • The number 13 is thought to be unlucky by some and is a real phobia for others.

A new report claims that 74% of people asked about the iPhone 13 name said that they didn't like it and that this year's iPhone should be called something else.

According to the 3,000 iPhone and iPad users surveyed by SellCell, the number 13 is problematic due to either being superstitious or suffering from triskaidekaphobia – the fear of number '13.'

When asked what they think iPhone 13 should be called, many said that iPhone (2021) would be the way to go.

  • 1-in-5 Apple users (18.3%) are triskaidekaphobic (fear of number '13') and would be put off by the 'iPhone 13' moniker
  • A whopping 74% would prefer a different name than iPhone 13 for next-gen iPhones, with 'iPhone (2021)' voted the most suitable name at 38%. Other responses: iPhone 13 (26%), iPhone 21 (16%), iPhone 12S (13%), iPhone 14 (7%)

Apple is set to announce its 2021 iPhones this fall and while we've all been using the iPhone 13 moniker, it really could be called anything. iPhone 12s isn't beyond the realms of possibility at this point. Apple could also skip 13 altogether. It did skip iPhone 9, after all.

Whatever it's called, the next iPhone will be the best iPhone the company has ever made. Rumors have it offering a new 120Hz display on some models, while a faster processor is a given at this point.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.