I typed that headline from an Android device I got for work. It’s a fun and exciting one I can’t wait to review (spoiler: it’s the Motorola razr+). It’s such a cool phone. I couldn’t help but upgrade from my Google Pixel 5a. I bought my iPhone 13 mini a few years ago and I’m planning on sticking with it for at least another year, maybe two more. I needed to replace my Pixel 5a in three years, but my iPhone, my main device, I hope to make last four. It turns out, my own buying habits might not be so different from the rest of America’s. iPhone users hold on to their devices far longer than Android users.
iOS and Android are vastly different platforms. While they’re both smartphone operating systems made for multi-touch smartphones, how they’ve gone about doing that is very different. iOS is made only by Apple, and only for the iPhone. Android, meanwhile, is a bit more complex. There are open sourced projects, Google’s version of Android, de-Googled versions of Android, customizations made by Samsung, Motorola, Oppo, Nothing, Asus, and so many more. There’s variety in devices themselves, in customizations, and in where people can even get devices repaired. Accessories are more rich on iOS too, as the lack of fragmentation of Apple’s latest flagships make them a surefire bet for third party accessory manufacturers. iOS devices, on average, cost more than Android devices, but flagships are all in the same price range. There could be many reasons, but it’s likely a combination of all of them. The end result is that iPhone owners keep their devices longer than Android users.
In This Article:
A Phone Kept for Longer
According to a report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), 90% of iOS users have a device that is over one year old, compared to 77% on Android. That trend continues. 32% of iOS users have a device that’s between two and three years old, while only 22% of Android users can say the same. A surprising 29% of iOS users have devices that are older than three years old, while only 21% of Android users have older devices. Their study clearly shows that iOS users tend to keep their devices longer than Android users. Previous studies showed that Android devices outsell iOS devices every year, but it seems that’s in part because iOS users don’t buy new iPhones as frequently as Android users.
In the past, studies showed iPhone users usually have a higher income, spend more on apps, and generally more willing to shell out cash for tech. So why are they keeping their devices so long? CIRP does speculate that the higher average price could push iPhone users to hold on to their devices longer. Apple doesn’t help their case by selling older iPhones with new model numbers instead of selling more mid-range devices, as Android manufacturers do. CIRP also believes that iPhone reliability and durability may also play a role.
Of course, there could be far more reasons. It’s tough to compare iOS and Android because, at its core, the comparison is really between Apple and every other smartphone manufacturer. So, really, it’s how Apple’s decisions make them an outlier, more that than how different the user bases themselves are. I think it’s important to remember that Apple is the only company to make the iPhone, and that certainly changes the comparison.
Why Users Stick Around
Fix It Again, Tim!
A while back, my test Android device started to swell up from the battery pushing against the back. Damage to the battery could have caused a fire, so, I had to get it fixed. Now, when this happened to my MacBook Pro, I just went to an Apple Store. They swapped out the battery and I had my MacBook Pro as good as new by the next day. For my Android device, I had to find a third party repair shop, they had to order the battery in, and then I had to wait for them to be able to fix it. The process took about a week, and the whole time I wondered if I was going to get my device back and if I should have done more than just lock it before I left it there… like a full wipe. It all just felt a little sketchy, even though the shop owner was very nice.
Apple just makes it so easy to repair a device, rather than replace it. Trying to do the same for an Android device could require going through your carrier, a third party repair shop, or even trying to do it yourself. So, rather than go through all of that, Android users may take whatever their carrier offers them to trade it in for a new device. $50 off of a new Samsung Galaxy S23 or $0 down on a brand new phone? Sure! Easy choice! It’s more wasteful, but for many, it’s a fast and easy way to just get a new device and walk out.
Accessorize!
When you buy an iPhone and go to pick out cases, you can pretty much go to any case manufacturer. They’ll have an iPhone case made for your model, often going back years. A new case can make an old iPhone feel fresh. When you get bored of a device, you often feel the need to get something new, buy a new case, maybe a new MagSafe wallet or grip, a lanyard, maybe accessories that add camera lenses, the possibilities go on. For iOS, you can find a new toy to make your iPhone feel like a fun, new device. That’s not the case for Android devices. It can be hard to find accessories made specifically for your device. It’s why many Android smartphone manufacturers will make their own cases and sometimes even include them in the box. They know you may not be able to find other cases. If you can’t accessories your device, you could get bored of it and replace it more quickly.
The New iSlab!
Would you like to see the “All New” iPhone 15? It has the iPhone 14 Pro’s internals, minus the best secondary camera, the zoom lens, as well as other “pro” features, but they’ll sell it to you for the same price as a brand new flagship device from Samsung, Motorola, or Google! Not your style? Then throw a few extra hundred dollars our way for the “All New” iPhone 15 Pro. It may look almost exactly like the old iPhone 14 Pro, but now it’s made out of titanium! That way, you’ll know it’s fancy titanium hidden under your cheap TPU case instead of steel.
No? Boring? But the iPhone 15 continues the tradition of the iPhone 14, iPhone 13, and iPhone 12 that came before it, adopting a design based on the “glass sandwich” of the iPhone 4, with a bit of the sleek form factor of the iPhone 5! Boring? Ha! What could be boring about a design that’s practically 13 years old?
Well, I’m sure Android devices are just as boring!
Flip phones, foldables, light patterns under the glass back, temperature sensors, 10x optical zoom, 5 cameras, a camera bar instead of a bump, exciting materials… okay, so maybe Android devices are more exciting. But you pay for that! Take the Motorola Razr Plus! A flip phone with a flexible inner display? It’ll cost $1,500! Maybe even $2,000!
Wait, it’s just $799 (on sale)? But that’s the same as you’d pay for Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro that’s been hobbled and repackaged in the “iPhone 15.”
And that’s a huge problem for Apple. Android manufacturers are making exciting new phones. Phones that become tablets. Large phones that become pocket-friendly. Phones with cool LED light glyphs. Apple doesn’t even have a small iPhone anymore! They already got rid of the one unique thing they had going for them! New iPhones bring so little excitement, people just can’t imagine shelling out the money for something new when it’s basically the same phone as what they have in their pocket already, even three years later.
The Price Gap
A Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, with its cool S-Pen, will start at $1,199.99. That’s the same starting price of the iPhone 15 Pro Max with its cool… name. It’s a tablet-sized phone and they didn’t add Apple Pencil support? These “top-of-the-line” smartphones cost the same. But that’s not your only choice. You can buy a fantastic S23 FE with only a small concession on a slightly slower processor for $629.99. It’s an excellent phone for not very much. You can get their exciting Flip5 for just $999. The Nothing Phone 2 starts at $699. These are not at the bleeding edge of Android performance, but offer exciting and new features with only slightly hampered camera and processor performance. They’re still great phones, and you can get them for so little. While the flagship devices may cost the same between Apple and the others, the more exciting devices often undercut Apple on price. Those exciting devices drive consumers to upgrade more quickly.
Meanwhile, look at Apple. They just sell their old devices. The iPhone SE starts at $429, but it’s basically an iPhone 8 body. It’s ancient! They’re using an old processor from the iPhone 11 series. Apple will also sell you an iPhone 13, a now 2-year-old iPhone, for $599. You can buy a brand new Motorola razr for that right now (admittedly on sale). A new flip phone with a flexible screen and small outer display for the same price as technology made two years ago. It’s obvious: Android buyers have more exciting mid-range options at the same price range as Apple.
A lower cost with surprisingly great “mid-range” devices means users don’t see why they shouldn’t just splurge a little. They get a new and exciting device and spent less. That encourages more frequent purchases, and this study certainly backs that up.
Updates!
Finally, there’s the most obvious answer: iPhone users keep using their old devices because, unlike Android users, they can. The latest version of iOS will work on the iPhone XS, which came out over 5 years ago. Because the processors and performance in Apple devices have always been a step ahead of their Android counterparts, that means these devices will be running the latest version of iOS and still feel new longer. They’ll still be fast for years. Users will say, “Why upgrade? This works fine!” for years after they buy their new device. Meanwhile, my HTC U11 took far too long to get Android 9. My Motorola razr will likely only get 3 years of updates. My Google Pixel 5a, 4. The fact is, even though Android manufacturers have improved the years they’ll support older devices, they just don’t match Apple’s support and performance years down the road.
If you want a device to last for many years and perhaps only require a battery swap after 2-3 years, you get an iPhone. The simplest answer, from repairs to update longevity is that Apple users keep their devices longer because Apple enables their users to keep their devices longer. A 5-year-old iPhone is far more useful than a 5-year-old Android phone right now, and that means users will stick with it longer and replace their outgoing iPhone with a new iPhone… even if it looks exactly like the one they’re replacing it with.
Sources:
- C. Scott Brown, Android Authority
- Michael Levin and Josh Lowitz, CIRP
- Andrew Orr, AppleInsider