Many phones lie unused in drawers

"42.5 percent do nothing with them - they disappear in the drawer, even though they contain resources and have value," said board member Günter Lischka from the mobile provider Drei at a press conference. Drei wants to return more to the circular economy.

Increasing demand for more powerful phones

Only 12.6 percent of respondents pass on their unused smartphones, 11.9 percent sell them, as further revealed by the survey conducted in May on behalf of Drei. 1,000 people aged between 16 and 70 were surveyed. In light of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), more powerful smartphones are in demand. "Their market share has more than doubled in the last four years," said Drei CEO Rudolf Schrefl to journalists in Vienna.

According to the survey, half (50 percent) change their phone within two years and a good quarter (26 percent) after two to three years. 16 percent keep it for three to five years and 8 percent longer than five years. Almost 50 percent of people only replace their device when the battery no longer lasts long or the processing speed is no longer high enough for their needs.

High-end phones for 1,000 euros

High-end devices quickly cost 1,000 euros. "Of the eight best-selling devices with us, more than half cost over 800 euros," reported the company head. These smartphones are becoming more durable, retaining their value significantly longer, but also becoming increasingly unaffordable. Drei now wants to treat existing and new customers "completely equally," offering new devices at special rates even with existing contracts. To better meet sustainability, old devices could be traded in, which the company "reconditions with a professional partner."

A lot of electronic waste in the drawers

"There is still a lot of electronic waste in the drawers," emphasized Schrefl. Currently, no more old devices are being offered in Austria (yet), "because the whole ecosystem is not there." At the same time, according to the survey, over 55 percent can imagine buying a used phone. When exchanging devices, over a third currently prefer new premium devices; the next third opts for mid-range devices, "because the price-performance ratio is better," said Lischka. "With high-end devices, a flagship comes out every year - accordingly, the depreciation," noted Lischka.

In general, the mobile phone as an "all-rounder" or "Swiss army knife" has significantly changed our everyday life, summarized Schrefl. This is especially true for the young. Among those under 30, 80 percent use it for streaming music, over half pay permanently with the device and use AI applications. According to the survey, older people mainly use the phone to stay in touch - 61 percent of those over 60 are active on social networks, more than one in three (37 percent) use the smartphone for banking.

(APA/Red)

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