telecommunications
Study: Smartphones are used longer
More than a quarter of those surveyed have been using the smartphone for two years or longer. photo
© Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez/dpa
Smartphone manufacturers such as Samsung, Apple, Xiamoi, Google & Co. bring new models onto the market every year. People in Germany, on the other hand, are taking more and more time when changing hardware.
Around a quarter (27 percent) have been using the smartphone for two years or longer. This represents an increase compared to previous years, when it was 23 percent (2023) and 16 percent (2022). According to the Bitkom survey, the average age of a self-purchased smartphone is currently 17.5 months.
For the study, Bitkom Research surveyed 1,007 people in Germany aged 16 and over by telephone in the first three weeks of January. The survey is representative.
Robust devices, updates available for longer
Bitkom board member Markus Haas identified two main reasons for the trend towards longer smartphone use. “The devices are now very robust and are provided with updates for longer. Accordingly, they are also in use for longer.” This has a positive effect on the devices’ CO2 footprint. More and more used smartphones are now coming back to the market as “refurbished” goods, completely overhauled and with a guarantee, said the CEO of Telefónica Deutschland.
Special boom during Corona
The longer period of use also has something to do with a special economic situation during the corona pandemic. In 2020, smartphone manufacturers were able to sell a particularly large number of devices because many consumers purchased new hardware for working from home and for their personal communication needs. Accordingly, in a comparable Bitkom survey in 2021, only eight percent of respondents said that they had been using a smartphone for two years or longer. In 2022 this value doubled to 16 percent, in 2023 it rose to 23 percent and most recently to 27 percent.
For the current year, Bitkom expects smartphone sales to increase from 20.1 million devices to 21.8 million. This corresponds to an increase of almost 8.5 percent. Since the average price per device will fall from 567 euros to 523 euros, the association expects stable sales of 11.4 billion euros, as in the previous year.
Desired ranking list of consumers
Since smartphones are no longer being replaced so quickly, consumers also want long-term software support from manufacturers. When asked “What is important to you when choosing a personal smartphone?” Criteria such as “more robust screen glass” are at the top with 98 percent, “screen quality” (95 percent), “battery life” (96 percent) and “storage space” (92 percent). However, “long-term supply of updates” follows with only low sales and is on a par with “camera quality” (87 percent).
When choosing a mobile phone provider, consumers look for good reception at their place of residence and the highest possible network coverage (97 percent in each case, before the highest possible data speed (87 percent) and the lowest possible prices (81 percent).
PM Bitkom