Almost 35 per cent of smartphone owners are expected to update their handset in the next year. Photo: Getty Images
Australians are sitting on millions of dollars worth of technology, with almost half of all mobile phone users keeping their old models instead of selling or trading them in.
This is in contrast with other countries with high smartphone ownership, where the overwhelming majority sell their old phones for cash or exchange them.
The latest results from the Deloitte mobile consumer survey revealed that 48 per cent of Australians hold on to their old mobile phones, 27 per cent gave them away, 15 per cent recycled them, just 8 per cent sold them, and 2 per cent lost them.
For those Aussies who do choose to rid themselves of their old mobiles, the majority (63 per cent) prefer to sell them online.
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Overseas, mobile phone owners in Singapore are the best at selling their old models, with 26 per cent doing so. This is followed by the UK (21 per cent), Japan (20 per cent), Germany (16 per cent) and Canada (13 per cent).
Report lead author Jeremy Drumm said many Australians kept their old models for a rainy day, as a quick replacement if their new phone breaks.
"Almost 50 per cent of people said they put their old phones in a drawer, so they're not even sharing it with their family," he said.
Australians overwhelmingly prefer to buy new phones, which could explain why there is such a small market for second-hand phones, he added. This is despite the fact that the two dominate mobile phone brands, Apple and Samsung, release new models every year.
Australia has one of the highest smartphone penetration rates in the world, with 79 per cent of those aged 55 and under owning one. Six in ten Australians own multiple devices, such as tablets.
Apple's iPhone remains the most popular handset, at 41 per cent, although Android is the dominant operating system.
Samsung is the second most popular mobile brand (32 per cent), distantly followed by Nokia (6 per cent) and HTC (5 per cent).
Some telecommunication companies offer trade-ins, although many more encourage customers to donate their old devices to be recycled. Mr Drumm said Apple and Samsung will introduce new-device trade-in and upgrade programs in the near future, which could kick-start the re-sell industry.
There are also increasing ways for people to trade-in or sell their old phones, from auction websites to direct with phone companies.
Almost 35 per cent of smartphone owners are expected to update their handset in the next year.
A Telstra spokesman said increasing innovation was driving people to want to upgrade their mobile phones more frequently. He added that 15.6 tonnes of old mobile phones and accessories were collected during 2014-15 for recycling.
Worldwide, the used-mobile-phone industry is worth $7 billion.
Source:
Millions wasted as Aussies keep old phones in drawers
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