That’s how often the Swiss buy a new smartphone

Not every tenth Swiss person has his mobile phone repaired or buys a second-hand device. Will average according to a study by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). bought a new smartphone every three years.

Specific only 7 percent of the Swiss population own a repaired or used device. Most people buy a new smartphone while the old mobile phone still works well or can be repairedaccording to the analysis published on Tuesday.

Better new

This is the conclusion of the ZHAW study “Saving lives – extending life”. According to the information, this was carried out as part of a research project on extending the life of mobile devices by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The ZHAW research team conducted a representative survey of approximately 1,400 people at the end of 2020.

30 percent of those surveyed indicated that their old device could no longer be repaired as a reason to purchase a new device. About a quarter simply said they wanted a better model. Of those who had decided to buy a new device, two-thirds feared that a used device could have a shorter lifespan.

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To extend the life of a smartphone, the study authors recommend the following: “The charge level of lithium-ion batteries should not fall below 20 percent and should not exceed 80 percent,” is the advice. It is best to charge the devices with a charging cable that charges slowly at a temperature between 15 and 35 degrees Celsius.

The ZHAW experts also point out that 50 to 90 percent of climate-damaging emissions over the entire life cycle of a mobile phone fall on the non-use phases and would mainly affect production. Smartphones should therefore be used for as long as possible.

The major manufacturers Apple, Samsung and Oppo now provide their new smartphones with software updates for at least five years. The small manufacturer Fairphone promises seven years of updates. In the future, all smartphone and tablet manufacturers in the EU will have to provide seven years of spare parts and five years of software updates.

(oli/sda/awp)