According to forecasts by market researchers, the mobile phone market will continue to shrink this year. The reason: Customers push the purchase of a new device longer and longer.
According to market research firm Gartner, 1.7 billion mobile phones are expected to ship worldwide in 2019 – 3.8 per cent less than in the previous year and even one-tenth less than in 2015. Customers remained loyal to their mobile phones longer when they bought new models No convincing improvements, said Gartner expert Ranjit Atwal on Wednesday. The trend already observed in 2018 towards an ever longer service life continues.
Exchange on average every 2.6 years
According to market observers, customers are currently exchanging a smartphone from the upper price segment for an average of 2.6 years for a new one. In 2023, such a phone will be replaced by a more modern model after only 2.9 years.
5G breakthrough is coming soon
Also, the new, faster mobile radio standard 5G gives for the time being on the broad area no impetus to the new purchase, because useful networks, especially outside of big cities, were still to come. With a veritable breakthrough in technology expects Gartner until 2023, if 5G models are likely to make up about 51 per cent of all newly sold mobile phones. In the coming year, the proportion is six per cent.