Chinese consumers were once notorious for changing and upgrading their mobile phones at a furious pace. In recent years, however, this trend has begun into change, driven by increasing quality in phones and by increasing prosperity, with fewer consumers viewing smaller purchases such as smartphones as signals of status.
Upgrade frequency is falling
In 2017, the proportion of Chinese users who say they upgrade their phones at least once a year fell to 27.8% of Android phone users and 16.0% of iPhone users (from 34.7% and 23.5% respectively).
When analyzed by brand, iPhone users are the least likely to upgrade every year, while Xiaomi users are the most likely, with 32.5% of users saying they buy a new phone more than once a year. However, the majority of consumers of all brands say that they upgrade every two to three years, Xiaomi included.
Certain brands have loyal users
The proportion of users who plan to buy the same brand again gives an indication of the loyalty comm...
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