In No Rush to Upgrade Your Smartphone? You're Not Alone

United states of america consumers are now property onto their smartphones for more than than 2.5 years, on average, before upgrading, according to new inquiry from The NPD Group.

The boilerplate US smartphone upgrade cycle, every bit of the second one-half of 2022, was 32 months, the market place research firm wrote in its latest Mobile Connectivity report. That's upwards from 25 months a twelvemonth prior.

It'southward also not uncommon these days for people to hold onto their smartphones for more than three years, the business firm noted. In the 2d one-half of 2022, 22 percent of US smartphone users said they wait more than 36 months to upgrade, up from 18 percent who said the same a twelvemonth earlier.

prepaid upgrades

Prepaid users are quickest to upgrade. In the latter half of last year, 21 percent of prepaid smartphone users reported upgrading their devices within a year of purchasing them. Only 10 percent of postpaid customers said the aforementioned.

"The continuous comeback of device build quality and components, coupled with college cost tags, has motivated consumers to hold on to their smartphones for longer periods than in the past," Brad Akyuz, director and industry analyst at NPD Connected Intelligence, said in a statement.

Carriers' stricter upgrade policies of belatedly have too impacted the upgrade wheel. "Many carriers require that customers fully pay off their devices earlier trade-in, which has slowed downwards upgrade cycles for postpaid customers," Akyuz said.

Still, the launch of 5G networks offering benefits similar faster speeds and lower latency will probable spur many to upgrade quicker than they practice today.

"With the debut of 5G networks in the coming years, OEMs and mobile operators will have the opportunity to educate consumers on the benefits of 5G services and convince them to upgrade to devices boasting a 5G chipset," Akyuz said. "This 4G to 5G migration volition ultimately result in the acceleration of the device upgrade cycle."

About Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo is PCMag'southward good on fitness and smart habitation products. Educational activity yoga for nearly 10 years has helped her in evaluating a range of connected wellness products including fitness trackers, centre rate monitors, rowers, smart scales, stationary bikes, strength training machines, treadmills, and more. Angela also tests smart home devices from her ranch in Florida, including air purifiers, kitchen appliances, and robot vacuums, merely to name a few.