Vodafone UK reckons we now only change phones once every four years

UK MNO Vodafone has done some research into handset longevity and revealed that that people are hanging onto to their phones for a lot longer these days.

According to the survey of 2,000 Brits, the average subscriber now upgrades their phone once every four years. That compares to once every two years just five years ago, suggesting the Covid lockdown and consequent stagflation have understandably made people very cautious about splashing the cash.

In an apparent bid to accommodate the penny-pinching punter, Vodafone last week unveiled a ‘lifetime service promise’ that covers warranty repairs and replacement batteries for its postpaid subscribers. This survey was conducted to generate a few phone-related factoids, the sharing of which Vodafone is presumably hoping will bring attention to its latest initiative.

Many of them are fairly frivolous, apparently correlating those four years with a number of other activities we might partake in over that time. But the longer average overall lifespan of a phone is especially intriguing when you consider the inducements typically thrown at postpaid subscribers to renew their premium deal, which typically last two years. It seems probable, therefore, that people are increasingly willing so sweat their telecoms assets in exchange for a smaller monthly bill.

Here’s an infographic summarising some of the other highlights from the survey.

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