Each quarter, we publish insights into the most-traded devices, which devices have the highest trade-in values, how old devices are when they’re returned, the amount of money returned to consumers through trade-in programs, and more. The Q4 2019 data can be reviewed here and shows this past quarter to be the strongest quarter of the year.

It’s difficult to understand how many smartphones are purchased online versus how many are purchased in brick-and-mortar stores. However, it’s easy to infer based on two other statistics. First, global demand for smartphones is slowing, and secondly, retail and electronics sales have also shown a sharp decline as of October 2019.

Over the last couple of years, CES has been a central hub for all-things 5G. The hype has been building for years and as we approach CES 2020, you can be sure that there will be no shortage of 5G news once again.

The holiday season truly is the most wonderful time of the year for the mobile device industry. During the holiday shopping season, consumers are more likely to upgrade to the latest smartphone models—and carriers, OEMs, and retailers are right there with creative promotions to make it easier.

The cost of a flagship mobile device is creeping slowly upwards. First, phone contracts changed – the apparent price of a flagship phone went from $200 USD to around $600. Then, people started hanging on to their new phones for longer – demand went down. On average, people used to get a new phone every 2 years or so, but the average jumped to 3.04 years this past quarter and will continue to rise. 

The first smartphones began coming out back in 2007, over 10 years ago. The first people who bought smartphones then were generally in their 20s or 30s – but now a new generation is buying the first phones of their own. They have a different set of tastes and values, as well as a generally different income level. Are any of these people willing or able to purchase a brand-new iPhone 11 for over $1000 USD?

Each quarter we analyze the millions of data points we’ve acquired and filtered from the mobile device trade-in market. Our research examines data about the most-traded devices, the devices with the highest trade-in values, the total amount of money returned to consumers in the United States, and the average value of traded devices.

The mobile market in Africa is about to enter a golden age. According to a recent report from the GSMA, Sub-Saharan Africa is set to have the world’s fastest growth in smartphone uptake, with 160 million new mobile subscribers by 2025.

We spend a lot of time talking about how to optimize the performance of mobile device trade-in programs. For the most part, these conversations come down to two sides—the backend operations and the customer experience. Having the technology to support a trade-in program is a great first step. Next, you have to find ways to generate the most value from device trade-ins.

Way back in 1963, Andy Williams released his song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” on a Christmas album. And undeniably, the vast majority of people connect this phrase to the holiday season. But for mobile device carriers and retailers, the most wonderful time of the year starts a few months earlier.