Study: Smartphones are used for longer and bought secondhand more often
Smartphones are being used for longer and longer by their owners in Switzerland. One in ten people surveyed stated that they had bought a secondhand device in the past year.
2025 could not be a good year for Digitec and Galaxus - at least in the smartphone segment. If the results of the newest smartphone study by comparison service Comparis are correct, fewer people will buy a new device this year. Only 38.4 per cent of respondents still want to treat themselves to a new smartphone in 2025. A year ago, 44.6 per cent said yes to a new purchase when asked the same question.
According to Comparis, there are two reasons for the lower figure. Firstly, smartphones are being used for longer and longer. Almost half of respondents (48.2 per cent) say they use their smartphone for four years or longer before buying a new one. This is the highest figure since 2021.
Secondly, around ten per cent of respondents say they bought a secondhand smartphone in 2024. Among people with a household income of less than 4,000 francs, the proportion was as high as 12.8 per cent, compared to just 7.3 per cent of households with an income of over 8,000 francs. The motivation for this is therefore more likely to be financial than environmental in nature.
Huawei in the top 3 at Digitec
In the second-hand section of Digitec and Galaxus (here to the current smartphone offers), used mobile phones only accounted for 3.3 per cent of all products on sale in 2024. However, Zara Hegmann, Head of Product responsible for the topic, explains that smartphones are selling slightly faster than other products.
Among the brands of smartphones on sale as second-hand, Apple is just ahead. It is closely followed by Samsung and, at some distance, Huawei. These three account for around 50 per cent of the total volume.
Market share: Apple continues to grow
According to the Comparis study, two brands dominate the Swiss market even more than in the resale area of Digitec and Galaxus: Apple and Samsung. When asked "Which manufacturer is your smartphone model from?", 50.6 per cent answered "Apple". 34.3 per cent said "Samsung".
Chinese brands play virtually no role anymore. With a market share of 3.7 per cent, Xiaomi is still in the best position. Huawei is the biggest loser. Its share fell from 10.9 per cent in 2020 to just 2.6 per cent in 2024, with Oppo accounting for 2.1 per cent.
The digital expert from Comparis, Jean-Claude Frick, commented on this to watson.ch:
The ban on using Western technology pulled the rug out from under Huawei's feet (...). The lack of important Google services leads to difficulties in using well-known apps on Huawei smartphones and has made the devices unattractive for years.
And what about Google's Pixel phones? Here at least the trend is pointing upwards, albeit at a very low level. 1.6 per cent of respondents said they owned a Google smartphone. A year ago, the figure was just 1.1 per cent.
Header image: Shutterstock
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Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chJournalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
