Consumers not convinced by the price-point of new smartphones – report

The smartphone is central to our lives, but it doesn’t seem like we are being bought by the latest fads as easily anymore.

According to research from Counterpoint (first spotted by the Wall Street Journal), the idea of buying a refurbished or second-hand smartphone is becoming more attractive to consumers, while refreshment cycles are getting longer. Such news could not be worse for a segment which is struggling with profitability and sluggish sales already. The report indicates one in ten devices now being purchased are refurbished models.

Of course Apple is generally excluded from such misery, though there have been rumours that the new iPhone X didn’t meet internal expectations. This is a brand which is usually able to contort it customers into all sorts of uncomfortable positions, but it seems not even the iCultists could swallow the $1000 price tag. This might be a worry for other brands who don’t have the luxury and robust brand positioning of Apple.

According to the research, refreshment cycles are up from two years, pushing towards three, while additional research from Baystreet Research suggests Equipment Installment Plans could also be a contributor to the misery. As these payments are hidden in monthly plans the consumer is less aware of how much a new device actually costs. With telcos becoming less inclined to push the subsidized device model nowadays, more consumers are leaning towards buying devices outright and perhaps getting a shock at the price. Realistically, refurbished or second-hand devices are almost as good, while substantially cheaper. It seems consumers are starting to accept this trade-off.

The iPhone X at $1000 is very expensive, as is Samsung’s Galaxy S9 at $840 which was launched at MWC this year, but what do customers actually get. There are few revelations when it comes to new flagship devices so what is the point in spending such extortionate amounts of cash. Refurbished devices are pretty much the same, unless you are a photograph buff but we question how many people there are who care that much about exceptionally detailed photos and videos.

The slump device manufacturers are in is perfectly demonstrated by the euphoria at MWC this week. Samsung might have launched its device, but HMD’s re-release of the banana phone, grabbed a lot of attention. This is the second year in a row where nostalgia have triumphed over the new and adequately demonstrates our point.

When we were at the event, Heavy Reading Analyst Steve Bell pointed towards graphene batteries which can be charged quicker and last longer as possibly the next big buzz for devices, while Light Reading’s Dan Jones is keeping an eye on the on-device storage improvements. Improvement to batteries is long overdue in the space while improved storage could drastically change the way content is consumed, stored and cached. Both areas could drastically improve performance of the devices.

These are two areas which could reinvigorate the refreshment cycle and get consumers excited again, but right now the trends are going the wrong direction for manufacturers who want to charge more for less value.