Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

counterpointresearch.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 339 posts

Re: US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

#21

Post by pil0u »

beretguy wrote: post #8

I bought refurbished iPhone SE 2nd gen from eBay for ~$130 in July 2023. Looks brand new. I use Chargie to extend battery life and a magnetic charging port adapter to eliminate charging port wear. When battery will wear out I’ll replace it with the one from iFixit. Let’s see for how long I can make this device last. https://chargie.org/

I was so sure that my iPhone did that for me. I have setup one shortcut to send a notification when I reach 35% (to not go too below) and another one when I reach 85% (to not go too above). Since I'm in front of a computer all day, I never charge during the night anymore.

Re: US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

#23

Post by xnorswap »

I just "upgraded" my phone and for the first time my new phone is worse than my old one.

I only upgraded because I noticed my old phone (Huawei P20 pro) was no longer getting android updates and I was concerned for the security of it.

My new phone (pixel 8) feels worse in almost every regard.

I can't even customise the home screen as much ( Literally cannot remove a link to Chrome and other google apps ).

Given it's 5 years newer, it doesn't even feel any faster or snappier, the P20 pro did a remarkable job at remaining fast and having decent battery life.

It's a lot lighter, but aside from that it feels like a downgrade.

If a 5 year old phone can still hold up against a new phone, admittedly not the top of the range pixel 8 pro, but a new phone nonetheless, then why would you upgrade every 2-3 years?

Re: US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

#24

Post by [deleted] »

kiba wrote: post #6
hospitalJail wrote: post #4

This is why I continue to be bullish on Apple. Apple is the only company that has been able to turn a smartphone into 'Nike Jordans'. They had people waiting outside at midnight, they have people buying the phone for the logo, they have people buying the phone for the location of the cameras. In the short term, I only see Apple as the company that does well during this next bumpy economy. Everyone else is selling pho…

Seems to me that you're praising Apple for the worst excess of capitalism, turning phones into status symbols, encouraging consumerism and vendor lock-in. Granted, I got a Pixel 8 this year, but mostly because my old phone was falling apart at the seam. I planned to design my own skin if only to incentivize me to not take off armoring from my phone.

[deleted]

Re: US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

#25

Post by matwood »

VancouverMan wrote: post #14

I know a number of people, myself included, who have been waiting for the return of decent mid-range phones before getting a new one. Right now, there are very few options for people who want a reasonably sized phone, offering reasonably good performance, at a reasonably low cost, with reasonably good durability, with reasonably long software support, from a reasonably trustworthy manufacturer.

Just buy a new iPhone with a carrier subsidy, and use it for 4-6 years probably replacing the battery once during that time.

Re: US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

#28

Post by jghn »

ravenstine wrote: post #7

Not surprising. Phone upgrades in the last 5 years have been barely worth it. I'll be to first to criticize and mock The Google, but I've been plenty happy with my refurbished Pixel 5 that I not only plan on running it into the ground but getting another one if it finally croaks or loses too much battery capacity. Yes, I could just get the latest Pixel when that happens, but why switch from a phone that I know intima…

I'm on Apple's yearly upgrade plan and still don't bother. I'm not interested in a device larger than their mini form factor, and they keep a) killing the mini and b) making their devices larger. At the moment the mini I have is better than their SE offering. So why bother updating my phone?

And as you say, everything works fine enough for me, so there's no pressure for me to move off my stance.

Re: US Smartphone Shipments Decline 19% in Q3 2023 as More Americans Delay Upgrade

#30

Post by hospitalJail »

tyingq wrote: post #11
hospitalJail wrote: post #4

This is why I continue to be bullish on Apple. Apple is the only company that has been able to turn a smartphone into 'Nike Jordans'. They had people waiting outside at midnight, they have people buying the phone for the logo, they have people buying the phone for the location of the cameras. In the short term, I only see Apple as the company that does well during this next bumpy economy. Everyone else is selling pho…

I see all that, but there is a sizable market that just can't afford an iPhone that's worth looking at. Though maybe if used iPhones are usable for longer time periods, that eats a little into Android's dominance of the low end?

No, because they have financing. Everyone can afford iphones. Teenagers without jobs can afford iphones.

The system seems perfect.

Post reply on HN