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This survey almost certainly wrong. 9 out of 10 people when given a leading question will probably say they think buying the latest smartphone is a waste of mon

This survey almost certainly wrong. 9 out of 10 people when given a leading question will probably say they think buying the latest smartphone is a waste of money, but the whole point of marketing shows that's not the case. Average upgrade cycle is 24-36 months now. 75-85% of that is a "current" model. The caveat here is that "latest" device and flagship devices are not the same thing. For example, the latest oneplus can be either the flagship 8T or the new mid-range Nord.

antiterra 6y ago
Just because someone thinks it’s a waste of money or poor value doesn’t mean they won’t buy it anyway. I have an iPhone XR and, while there’s nothing about it lacking in daily use, I still have persistent thoughts of it as an older low resolution phone that I should upgrade.
- Gibbon1 6y ago
  It can objectively be a waste of money but practical concerns require people to buy new phones. Users have no control over the fact that the OS and apps get ever more resource hungry despite marginal generally unimportant improvements in utility.
daveFNbuck 6y ago
A 24-36 month upgrade cycle means people aren't buying the latest smartphone every year. I don't think that the latest smartphone is a good value, and that's why I try to hold on to mine for a few years before buying a new one.
- fossuser 6y ago
  If you buy the new iPhone every year you can sell the old one for around 70% of its initial cost on Craigslist in a day (if you’re in the Bay Area). For me this makes it worth it because the resell value decays over time and you always get the newest device with a fresh battery. Seems like a reasonable place to spend money for something you use probably more than anything else.
  - dingaling 6y ago
    Maybe so, but there is still friction in that approach in terms of advertising, evaluating potential buyers , exchanging goods, handling money. I don't know how iPhones handle the transfer process but anyone I know with an Android phone also dreads setting up a new phone because there's always something manually tedious that needs to be done.
    - wutbrodo 6y ago
      > I don't know how iPhones handle the transfer process but anyone I know with an Android phone also dreads setting up a new phone because there's always something manually tedious that needs to be done FWIW I've used Android phones for the last decade+ and my setup consists entirely of signing into my Google account once (and setting a wallpaper, if I feel like it).
  - wasdfff 6y ago
    You are still paying 1/3 the price of a new phone a year for that privilege, which is no small sum these days. Most people I know including myself are getting like 5-6 years out of their phones now.
    - hackerbee 6y ago
      Say you buy a $1200 iPhone. One third is $400. Works out to a little over a dollar per day. For a device you probably use for hours per day.
      - toast0 6y ago
        Alternatively, I buy $100-$200 smartphones (I prefer ambitious phones that didn't sell at MSRP and then get marked down; Fire phone, Nextbit Robin, Essential PH-1, had to buy regular phones after that; considered the new iPhone SE, but after the PH-1, I'm not buying anything without a headphone jack I can't lose, and I'd rather not do anything without usb-c). Those usually last 12-24 months and then you get a fresh one.
- rv-de 6y ago
  Furthermore you can buy a new smartphone every 24 months and still not buy the latest model. I on average buy a new smartphone about every 24 to 36 months but I tend to buy used smartphones.
JMTQp8lwXL 6y ago
The 24-36 month figure is likely not static, but continuing to go up. I'm over 48 months and if it's not broken, don't fix it.
- hehetrthrthrjn 6y ago
  I think most people don't upgrade their phone until something breaks, maybe that's what is driving cycle length. That underlines the marketing genius of non-user replaceable batteries, which are usually the first thing to go.
  - petra 6y ago
    Isn't it worth going into a store to replace the battery?
- MereInterest 6y ago
  > if it's not broken, don't fix it. Agreed, though I also add "unbearably slow" as a form of being broken. Whether you view this as the cost of running newer software/webpages with fancier animations, a collective form of donations to developers using less efficient languages/frameworks, or an externality pushed onto users by the ad industry may vary.
jliptzin 6y ago
Or they know it's a waste of money but they want it and buy it anyway.
ponker 6y ago
“It’s a waste of money” and “I bought it” are not mutually exclusive.
Terretta 6y ago
There’s a substantive technical/engineering case to be made for buying the latest every other year, depending on the maker’s R&D tick tock. A survey is unlikely to pick this sort of nuance up.
disposekinetics 6y ago
I did the math and I have upgraded, on average, every 90 months, and that still feels really extravagant.

antiterra 6y ago

Just because someone thinks it’s a waste of money or poor value doesn’t mean they won’t buy it anyway. I have an iPhone XR and, while there’s nothing about it lacking in daily use, I still have persistent thoughts of it as an older low resolution phone that I should upgrade.

Gibbon1 6y ago
It can objectively be a waste of money but practical concerns require people to buy new phones. Users have no control over the fact that the OS and apps get ever more resource hungry despite marginal generally unimportant improvements in utility.

daveFNbuck 6y ago

A 24-36 month upgrade cycle means people aren't buying the latest smartphone every year. I don't think that the latest smartphone is a good value, and that's why I try to hold on to mine for a few years before buying a new one.

fossuser 6y ago
If you buy the new iPhone every year you can sell the old one for around 70% of its initial cost on Craigslist in a day (if you’re in the Bay Area). For me this makes it worth it because the resell value decays over time and you always get the newest device with a fresh battery. Seems like a reasonable place to spend money for something you use probably more than anything else.
- dingaling 6y ago
  Maybe so, but there is still friction in that approach in terms of advertising, evaluating potential buyers , exchanging goods, handling money. I don't know how iPhones handle the transfer process but anyone I know with an Android phone also dreads setting up a new phone because there's always something manually tedious that needs to be done.
  - wutbrodo 6y ago
    > I don't know how iPhones handle the transfer process but anyone I know with an Android phone also dreads setting up a new phone because there's always something manually tedious that needs to be done FWIW I've used Android phones for the last decade+ and my setup consists entirely of signing into my Google account once (and setting a wallpaper, if I feel like it).
- wasdfff 6y ago
  You are still paying 1/3 the price of a new phone a year for that privilege, which is no small sum these days. Most people I know including myself are getting like 5-6 years out of their phones now.
  - hackerbee 6y ago
    Say you buy a $1200 iPhone. One third is $400. Works out to a little over a dollar per day. For a device you probably use for hours per day.
    - toast0 6y ago
      Alternatively, I buy $100-$200 smartphones (I prefer ambitious phones that didn't sell at MSRP and then get marked down; Fire phone, Nextbit Robin, Essential PH-1, had to buy regular phones after that; considered the new iPhone SE, but after the PH-1, I'm not buying anything without a headphone jack I can't lose, and I'd rather not do anything without usb-c). Those usually last 12-24 months and then you get a fresh one.
rv-de 6y ago
Furthermore you can buy a new smartphone every 24 months and still not buy the latest model. I on average buy a new smartphone about every 24 to 36 months but I tend to buy used smartphones.

JMTQp8lwXL 6y ago

The 24-36 month figure is likely not static, but continuing to go up. I'm over 48 months and if it's not broken, don't fix it.

hehetrthrthrjn 6y ago
I think most people don't upgrade their phone until something breaks, maybe that's what is driving cycle length. That underlines the marketing genius of non-user replaceable batteries, which are usually the first thing to go.
- petra 6y ago
  Isn't it worth going into a store to replace the battery?
MereInterest 6y ago
> if it's not broken, don't fix it. Agreed, though I also add "unbearably slow" as a form of being broken. Whether you view this as the cost of running newer software/webpages with fancier animations, a collective form of donations to developers using less efficient languages/frameworks, or an externality pushed onto users by the ad industry may vary.

jliptzin 6y ago

Or they know it's a waste of money but they want it and buy it anyway.

ponker 6y ago

“It’s a waste of money” and “I bought it” are not mutually exclusive.

Terretta 6y ago

There’s a substantive technical/engineering case to be made for buying the latest every other year, depending on the maker’s R&D tick tock. A survey is unlikely to pick this sort of nuance up.

disposekinetics 6y ago

I did the math and I have upgraded, on average, every 90 months, and that still feels really extravagant.