According to data surveyed by comparison site Finder, Australian mobile phone owners are slower than ever when it comes to upgrading.
Finder found that most Australians planned on keeping the same smartphone for a surprising three years on average, despite the onslaught of new products being rolled out by both established and newer brands.
The survey found that Gen Y users upgrade their phone the most frequently, switching to a newer model every 27.6 months.
Gen X users traded up every three years (34.1 months on average) while Baby Boomers upgraded up almost every four years (44.5 months on average).
In comparison, research published by Citibank in 2016 found that American smartphone owners waited an average of 29 months before upgrading.
Alex Kidman, Telco Expert at finder.com.au, says the reason for this is as simple as it is practical: Aussies don’t really have an urgent reason to make the switch.
“While they own a smartphone that works perfectly well, Aussies won’t upgrade,” he says.
According to him, “gone are the days when each new generation of phone revealed huge new features.”
“It’s a mature market, and in line with that, the differences between one year’s phone models and the next year’s aren’t that great, or that compelling,” Kidman says.
“Big brands need to pull a rabbit out of a hat if they really want to create some buzz around their new models.”
