Too early to upgrade to a Fold 5? Here's how often Americans swap their phones

So! Upgrading to a new phone is always exciting, but how often do most Americans do that? Well, according to our findings, the average ownership lifespan is about 25 months. That’d be just over two years, which I was actually surprised by.

I mean, it still feels like we’re waging a war to have an even longer support lifecycle when it comes to Android and then Apple is already doing a fantastic job of supporting phones as old as the iPhone X with the latest iOS 17. What gives?

Well, there’s a ton of factors to consider. For example, at this point it’s pretty much customary to see amazing discounts on tech several times a year. If you see a top-tier deal, why not upgrade, eh?

Not only that, but then you have the instances where carriers actually offer amazing deals, which — TL;DR — let you return your old phone and pay a bit in order to get the latest model of whatever flagship you prefer. I mean, why not, if the price is right?

Of course, not everyone is so quick to swap phones. For example, those of the ages 35 to 44 hold on a bit longer on average, for 14 months. And then, older generations start boosting that further and further until 41 months, which is the highest average we got.

And before I present you with a theory as to why, let’s go over a bonus fact: city dwellers are way more likely to swap out their phones than rural residents.

And at this point, I think that it’s fair for me to call it a correlation: it’s 2023, and your phone plays a huge role in your life. It’s a fashion statement, it showcases your philosophy and ideology through the companies you choose to support and it is also — despite the negative connotations — very much so still a status symbol.

Given that all of these are pop-culture elements, which need no proof beyond you stepping out the door and taking a look around, I think the numbers make quite a lot of sense.

But all of the numbers will collectively start making even more sense at the end of August, when the complete “How America Buys and Uses Smartphones” results will become available on PhoneArena.

And join us next time, because we ask a weird one. If Apple offers better software support for the iPhone, then why are iPhone owners more likely to get a new phone? And just in case you may miss out the full survey when it is released, make sure to subscribe through the form below in order to get notified! 

The full results are now available right here! Check them out!