It’s psychological, not technical: why phones don’t seem to last as long as they used to
With new laws forcing manufacturers to make phones repairable, the days of fused-glass displays, locked firmware and non-existent updates are over. But this won’t tackle the main reason driving consumers to frequently buy new phones: their psychology.
I have three smartphones in my drawer, none of which are broken. All three start up if I keep them plugged into a charger for long enough. We’re all fairly convinced we know why these smartphone-filled drawers come into existence, sure that corporations are deliberately making junk products.
Keen to know if there was any evidence to support this, I did some reading to find out what researchers have to say about the issue. In a nutshell, yes, problems do exist. But the biggest problem isn’t the one we think it is.
Source: Joel Brändle
We buy new phones eight months earlier than necessary
We replace our phones about eight months earlier than needed, simply because they feel old. That feeling is more powerful than a cracked screen – it’s the biggest motivating factor behind the decision to buy a new phone.
The eight-month figure comes from a study that examined what really influences the lifespan of smartphones. It categorises smartphone «ageing» into four types of obsolescence. All of them are represented in my drawer.
Material obsolescence is the most noticeable type. Phones fall into this category when they have a physical defect, such as a cracked screen, damage from being dropped or a three-year-old battery that’s constantly running out. All of the phones in my drawer show signs of material obsolescence.
Functional obsolescence refers to things like the error message that your phone’s memory is full or that the software is out of date. Apps that suddenly stop being compatible with your latest system version fall into this category too.
Economic obsolescence explains why certain devices are never sent in for repair. In this scenario, repairing your phone would cost more than replacing it. The term also applies to trade-in schemes that make buying a phone seem so affordable that it wouldn’t be worth paying for a repair.
The final category is psychological obsolescence, our subjective perception that a phone is old, not on-trend or not the device everyone else has. Although this type of obsolescence has nothing to do with the device itself, researchers say it’s the strongest.
The paradox: if you think your phone is slow, you’ll keep it for longer
There’s a surprising revelation mentioned in the study. Namely, that functional obsolescence isn’t that important a factor. It has less influence over how long somebody uses their phone than I would’ve expected.
This phenomenon is particularly pronounced among tech-savvy users. Instead of ditching a slow phone for a newer model, they clean it up by deleting photos, uninstalling apps and transferring files to the cloud. They make do with what they’ve got, and wait for the right time to buy a new device. The same applies to users who feel confident enough to make their own repairs: they’re less likely to replace their devices due to wear and tear, because they see defects as a challenge, not a death sentence for their phones.
However, the researchers who conducted the study take a critical view of their own findings. Users who keep their phones for longer are likely to have more issues with their device in the long run. Nevertheless, it’s a trend worth noting. Clearly, we’re less inclined to go phone shopping as a result of our devices slowing down than we are at the sight of a cracked screen or the shiny new mobile in the grasp of the person sitting next to us.
Source: Joel Brändle
New regulations won’t tackle the biggest driver of phone shoppers’ behaviour
Just as that itch to buy a new phone is setting in, politics comes into the picture. On 20 June 2025, the regulation laying down ecodesign requirements for mobile devices came into force in the EU. The legislation represents the biggest industry intervention since universal chargers. The most tangible regulation is the new energy label, which shows a device’s battery life, durability and repairability at a glance.
Even more important, however, are the obligations behind the label. Manufacturers need to provide operating system and security updates for new devices for at least five years. Crucially, that five-year period begins not on the product launch date, but on the date it’s taken off the market. From that point onwards, replacement parts such as batteries, displays and cameras have to be available for seven years and deliverable within five to ten business days. On top of this, there’s the Right to Repair, which obliges manufacturers to make sure replacement parts from third-party suppliers are compatible.
None of this applies directly to Switzerland. Although the Federal Council has adopted the EU’s resource efficiency requirements, we still don’t have a legal right to repair. Even so, we still benefit from the legislation, as no manufacturer produces specialised equipment exclusively for the Swiss market.
The regulation specifically addresses three forms of device obsolescence, which, according to the study I mentioned earlier, are losing significance anyway. Energy labels don’t do anything to counteract psychological obsolescence. Plus, the lack of regulation surrounding the price of replacement parts is another gap in the new legislation. Without price controls, manufacturers can make repairing their devices an unattractive prospect without violating the EU regulation.
Nearly 1 in 4 feel ashamed of having an old phone
In a study conducted by the London School of Economics, researchers delved into why we want the same smartphones as people we know. Reportedly, there are three aspects at play here: the device’s functionality, what we believe we’re capable of and what people around us expect of us.
The timing of a phone purchase depends more on how new our friends’ devices are than on technical issues. Nearly a quarter of young adults surveyed by the LSE researchers admitted to feeling embarrassed by their friends seeing their old mobile phone. Ultimately, this focus on status prompts people to stash their still-functional smartphones away in a drawer and switch to a newer model.
There’s also a gap between what users want and what they expect. Although consumers are keen to buy smartphones that’ll last more than five years, they don’t actually expect their devices to hold out for that long. According to the study, the average smartphone buyer expects their device to last three years. And that expectation has consequences. People who expect their device to have a short lifespan tend to take less care of it, and are less likely to have it repaired.
High prices are curbing the impulse to buy new phones quickly
However, there’s one thing that’s breaking this cycle: smartphone prices. According to a survey conducted by Swiss comparison website Comparis, about 15 per cent of respondents said they’d owned their main mobile phone for four years or longer (page in German). That’s the highest figure in five years. In 2020, it was just under nine per cent. Two thirds of respondents reported using their phones for longer due to high prices for new devices – significantly more than in 2020.
Meanwhile, a quarter of respondents cited battery life as their biggest bugbear with old smartphones. Storage space on the other hand, was rarely mentioned as a reason to upgrade a phone, despite being one of the main factors mentioned in previous years. It’s not so much the technical issues that are relevant – it’s what happens afterwards. Namely, that users are annoyed by the problems, but choose to hang onto their devices anyway. With this in mind, the Comparis survey confirms the findings of the obsolescence study. Rather than technical defects prompting consumers to buy a new smartphone, it’s the feeling of owning an old device.
The decision is in our hands
Yes, the manufacturers are the ones setting the goalposts here. They fuse their glass displays, block their firmware and offer trade-in schemes that make buying a new device seem cheaper than getting it repaired. And according to the obsolescence study, this is almost as strong a driver of new phone sales as the desire to upgrade to the latest model. So the accusations made in the comments section aren’t wrong. They’re just incomplete.
After all, we’re usually the ones who make that final push towards the checkout. The decision to buy a new phone is almost never driven by technical necessity. Instead, a cracked screen often just provides the perfect excuse to give in to the allure of the latest model. It’s exactly why I have three devices in my drawer, all of which still turn on.
Interesting facts about products, behind-the-scenes looks at manufacturers and deep-dives on interesting people.
Show all
