The thrill of buying the latest phone model has dwindled quite a bit over the past few years. Smartphones seem to have reached the apex of functionality and most people don’t need them to do any more than they can already do. This is one of the reasons why the average phone life cycle is on the rise.
In 2016, the average lifespan of a smartphone was 23 months, but we saw a 10-month increase over the next three years. New features no longer hold the appeal they once had, with only 1 in 3 Americans getting excited by the “wow features” of a new upgrade. Higher prices are also causing people to delay new phone purchases, as are revamped phone contracts which no longer have the 2-year upgrade cycle.
With the increased longevity of a smartphone, comes the increased chance of damage as well. Although Americans are expected to spend 59 billion dollars on new phones in 2021, they’re also expected to spend 4 billion in smartphone repairs.
Phones are damaged constantly. Seventy-two percent of us have broken a smartphone at some point, and if we’re one of the unfortunate majority, we’re also 2x as likely to damage a smartphone again.
Sometimes an upgrade is the best option, but repairing is also worth looking into. Repairing rather than upgrading is generally more cost effective, more convenient, and actually better for the environment as it doesn’t require the production of a new phone.
Next time you break your phone, make sure that upgrading is really the best choice for you.
