Business · The Register
That old phone in the kitchen drawer could save an industry
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Secondhand phones sales are booming - relatively speaking - and the industry has rising inflation, AI bloat, and consumers' growing apathy toward overpriced new handsets to thank for it.
Key facts
- Counterpoint Research forecasts a 12 percent year-on-year bounce in pre-owned handsets in 2026
- It's an even higher drop than they saw during covid or during the inflation-driven slowdown in 2022 to 2023, and if this plays out, shipments could fall back to levels that were last seen around 2013
- Counterpoint expects new smartphone shipments to crater by 12 percent this year, potentially dragging the market below 1.1 billion units
- In India and the UK, around 60 percent of respondents said they would consider buying refurbished for the next device," Herbert said of her survey
Summary
Counterpoint Research forecasts a 12 percent year-on-year bounce in pre-owned handsets in 2026. "There's always been a demand for pre-owned devices, but over the past few years the demand has become more mainstream," said senior analyst Emily Herbert. The new device market, meanwhile, is in serious trouble. "It's an even higher drop than we saw during covid or during the inflation-driven slowdown in 2022 to 2023, and if this plays out, shipments could fall back to levels that were last seen around 2013, about 13 years ago," Herbert says.