With smartphones rapidly capturing the market, the desire for stability is now on the rise. But where is the problem?
Smartphones arrived quickly and suddenly. But with the dwindling innovation power in this market, the topic of sustainability is becoming more and more important. However, it takes more than just recycled packaging to make devices usable for a long time.
Smartphone durability as the most popular stability factor
Sustainability is a hot topic. And smartphone makers know this too. More and more smartphone makers are investing in ESG programs, recycling packaging, committing to zero emissions production and selling their products without chargers. The Western European market in particular is characterized by an excellent awareness of sustainability.
In a newly published study, Canalis examines how great the interest of Western European consumers is in used and refurbished smartphones. It has been shown that the majority of those surveyed give the highest importance to the durability of the equipment among all the stability factors. A factor that is often neglected by equipment manufacturers. A permanently installed battery and sometimes a very questionable update policy speak for themselves. But more on that later.
Younger users more likely to use a used smartphone
Furthermore, 5% of respondents to this study showed interest in a refurbished device. 10% said they are still willing to use a used smartphone.
What may initially seem low, eventually amounts to several million smartphones per year. In particular, according to Canalis, interest in these devices has increased significantly, especially among users under the age of 30. So it is to be expected that the rate will continue to increase as the younger generation gets older.
However, to develop further segments of the remaining 85% market, it is also necessary to create further incentives. These could be financial benefits, more robust devices with a longer life expectancy, and a subscription model similar to Device-as-a-Service.
Old Appliances Sell Badly If They Disappear in a Drawer
To buy used and refurbished equipment, there must be people who give up their old equipment. After all, the demand must eventually be met. But as Canalys’ study shows, many users keep their old smartphone as a replacement device. At least if you look at the entry-level and mid-range. This should not be the least because of the low resale value of these devices.
High-end models, on the other hand, are passed on by trade-in or other means much more often and are thus given a second life. Overall, the supply should exceed the demand for reusable devices. In fact, there is often a surplus of used smartphones. However, these can at least be effectively recycled by retailers if they cannot find a buyer.
Software is often a bottleneck
The fact that sustainability is playing an important role in smartphones is probably not the least because of the price evolution of the devices. Whereas a few years ago you could buy a new high-end device for less than €400, today a 4-digit quantity is often requested for this device class. In addition, innovation in this area has lost momentum.
A Samsung Galaxy S2 would have been nearly unusable after 6 years from a technical standpoint alone, as the built-in processor simply lacked power for modern apps and the low resolution of the display also became a major constraint over time.
But the OnePlus 3, whose release date is now over 6 years old, was already equipped with a FullHD AMOLED screen and, with its Snapdragon 820 and 6GB of RAM, was still able to access modern apps without There is enough power for major restrictions. But one shortcoming remains: software.
more on topic
In terms of hardware, the smartphones used matter more than ever. But it is more worthwhile to always keep an eye on the software status and check how many updates can still be expected from the device manufacturer. Because sooner or later software always becomes a bottleneck.
Update guarantee or not. The update promises of 4 years are a drop in the bucket, given that the hardware will continue to roll out more slowly in the future. And the promised updates are by no means updates, as has been shown quite often in the past.
The fact that manufacturers of technical devices are often not interested at all in designing them for longer service lives was recently shown by the Epson company, some of whose printers were premature, although they were technically still fully functional.
your opinion matters
What are your thoughts on this subject? Do you also see software as the biggest obstacle, or are you more bothered by permanently installed batteries?
And what has been your experience with the update policy of your previous smartphone? Do you also take matters into your own hands and rely on alternative operating systems like LineageOS?
And what specifically do you want from smartphone makers so that you can use your smartphone for longer and are also willing to use used equipment?
The editors are waiting for your comments!
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