Sometimes we wonder what are the reasons why a user changes mobile or when it is usually a good time to make such changes. In Ting, they have asked that same question and have made a new survey of the buyers of a new mobile, with data of great interest.
Why are you going to change phones?
The American operator Ting has recently conducted a survey of 3600 people who were going to buy a new mobile in the United States. In this survey, they asked users to rate the three most important characteristics for them when choosing a new mobile.
Although these types of surveys never end up reflecting the reality of the market, it does give us an interesting perspective. This particular model would apply to a small population in the United States, but they are very interesting data.
Why do mobile people change? Faced with this question, 32% said it was not working as well as before, while the second most chosen option was that the old phone was broken, damaged or lost.
Only 10% admitted to buying a new mobile because they wanted the new model. Something that shows why the big releases are not as successful as before. It also highlights that 18% chose to change because their mobile was outdated.
But how often is the change made? the most chosen option was the interval of 3 to 5 years, contrasting a lot with the belief that most users change very frequently. Only 15% of respondents change phones with less than 2 years, and it seems that the majority are young people.
Android or iPhone? In the survey, it seems that Android is victorious, with 65% of users. Of the Android users, 94% came from another Android mobile, with only 6% of users coming from an iPhone. Instead, 22% of iPhone users came from an Android.
These figures may be the least representative for our particular market. The iPhone is extremely popular in the United States, being one of Apple’s key markets.
What matters most when buying a new device? In both men and women, the most important thing when choosing a new mobile seems to be the price of the terminal. In men, specifications and storage would be the most important, while in women the choice of operating system and camera have more value.
Only 3% spend more than $ 1000 on a new mobile, while 42% choose to spend between $ 150 and $ 399.
What do users do with their old terminal? It seems that 42% of old phones end up forgotten in a drawer, while in 4% of the occasions that a user sells or gives away his old mobile, he forgets to erase his personal data. Never do that.
Among users who donate or recycle their old smartphones, 28% often reuse it as a secondary mobile, an option that we have talked about many times and that we strongly recommend. The most popular use of secondary mobile is as a music player.
46% are usually inherited from parents to children, a decision that also seems very reasonable.
If you are curious to see the infographic, we recommend you go to Ting’s blog, the survey authors.