News + Trends
Smartphone ranking 2023: A new number one after ten years
by Michelle Brändle
Not always the latest smartphone: survey points to greater thriftiness
6.2.2024
Translation: machine translated
In Switzerland, more and more people want to use their current smartphone for longer. This year, only a good 38 per cent of all respondents wanted to buy a new device. One in ten people would consider a second-hand device.
51 per cent of all people in Switzerland want to use their current smartphone for four years or even longer. And on average, they have already owned their current model for two years. Only 38.4 per cent intend to buy a new smartphone. These are the findings of a representative market survey commissioned by the comparison portal Comparis (here is the link to the detailed press release)
According to Comparis, the proportion of people with a purchase intention has fallen significantly compared to the previous year (44.6 per cent). According to the press release, this decline could be due to higher costs in other areas: Rent, health insurance premiums, food. Using an existing smartphone for longer instead of spending money on a new model is a good way to save money. Moreover, the manufacturers themselves could also be to blame for the reluctance to buy. Comparis digital expert Jean-Claude Frick says:
The latest models from well-known smartphone manufacturers often barely differ from their predecessors. Innovation in mobile phones has slowed down considerably.
Apple remains number 1 in Switzerland
The survey also asked which brand the smartphones used were from. According to the survey results, Apple's market share is 46.7 per cent. Compared to the previous year, this is a small increase of 0.3 percentage points. All Android devices together account for 53.2 per cent. Samsung is the undisputed leader among Androids: 83.4 per cent of all Android users have a device from the South Korean company.
Younger people and those with higher incomes, on the other hand, are predominantly addicted to Apple. Among 18 to 35-year-olds, the iPhone share is 55.6 per cent, while in households with an income of over 8,000 francs, the share is 54.5 per cent. In addition, iPhone owners are more willing to purchase a new device. Comparis expert Frick's assessment shows that Apple's marketing strategy is probably working. He says:
As a strong and globally recognised brand, Apple is attractive to young people who also like to be trend-conscious in other ways.
In addition to Samsung and Apple, other manufacturers are playing an increasingly minor role. Only Google was able to gain significant market share with its Pixel devices - from 0.6 to 1.1 per cent.
The biggest loser in recent years is Huawei. Its market share is now only 3.6 per cent, whereas it used to be more than ten per cent. Overall, the share of Chinese brands (Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, Honor, Oneplus and HTC) fell from 15.9 per cent (2020) to just 10.7 per cent.
My PR colleague Tobias Heller also recently analysed the actual sales figures for smartphones in our shops. This also showed that Apple is ahead of Samsung - and that the two manufacturers dominate the market.
Sustainability plays almost no role in practice
Even though manufacturers give a lot of space to the topic of sustainability when announcing their devices, the topic is still not particularly important to customers, according to Comparis. 43 per cent of respondents said that being able to repair an appliance themselves was not important to them. In contrast, more than 70 per cent would like software updates to last for years.
It would be particularly sustainable if more people bought secondhand smartphones. According to Comparis, the proportion of those who do so is 9.5 per cent in Switzerland. Apple clearly dominates here with its iPhones: they change hands almost twice as often as Android devices. Jean-Claude Frick also knows the reason for this:
As iPhones are hardly ever offered at reduced prices, their value remains stable for longer than that of the competition from the Android camp. Sellers of used iPhones can therefore achieve significantly higher prices than sellers of used Samsung devices.
You can currently find more than 500 used smartphones at Digitec and Galaxus - most of them from Samsung, with Apple only in second place for once.
How long have you been using your smartphone? How important is sustainability to you? Let me and the Community know in the comments.
Titelfoto: Shutterstock
Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chJournalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
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