Consumers await 5G, pause on upgrade to smartphones: Gartner report

The trend for lengthening mobile phone life span began in 2018 and will continue through 2019 as consumers don’t see significant utility in upgrading phones at present, reports Gartner.

The report predicts that high-end phone lifespan will increase from 2.6 years to nearly 2.9 years through 2023. 

Telecom sector analysts note that without clarity on 5G connectivity, the consumer would want to hold spending on new devices.

Gartner estimates that sales of smartphones will decline by 2.5 per cent in 2019, which would be the worst decline ever. 

Worldwide shipment of devices – PCs, tablets and mobile phones – will total 2.2 billion units