We asked, you told us: Here's how you feel about buying a new phone in 2023

The world’s economic situation is not so great right now. Inflation is at an all-time high, and people are buying fewer phones. It’s not something that’s just happened. Most smartphone companies have reported a sales dip in the past quarter or so. Industry leaders like Samsung and Qualcomm are also predicting that consumer demand for smartphones will fall further, at least until the second half of the year. Even if affordability is not an issue, some people may be holding brand new phones from last year or even from 2021, and may not want to invest in a new model.

So we thought of asking our readers if they are planning to buy a new phone this year. Here’s how they voted in our poll.

Are you buying a new smartphone this year?

Results

We received over 3,700 votes in our poll about buying a new smartphone in 2023. It looks like a majority of our readers who participated in the poll (42.43%) don’t plan on buying a new phone this year.

That said, 35.2% of the respondents are still up for buying new phones. Their votes suggest they’ve already decided to upgrade their handsets no matter the demand slump in the market.

There are also those folks who haven’t yet decided if they want a new phone in 2023 or not. Meanwhile, 13% of the voters are on the fence and might pick up a new phone later this year during the holiday season sales.

Your comments

Glenn: My OnePlus 7 Pro is still going strong, and kept up-to-date with LineageOS. If I can get at least five years out of this one, I’ll be happy.

Will: I have an S22U, no need to upgrade. Unless I could trade it in for $50 to an equivalent storage tier and color I want it isn’t worth my time to upgrade either. Even with Samsung’s smart switch it takes like a week to move all my apps, game files, and settings. I really hope for the S24U they focus on speaker improvements, dual front facing speakers would be the dream but even then it would have to be a massive upgrade I am so happy with my current phone 1440p120hz is so perfect.

Bubba Jones: Nopers, this year I am not upgrading. Truly, it has nothing to do with the economy, as with many others here I can well afford any upgrade. My reason for not upgrading is my Note 20 remains strong and without issues. Years ago, I realized after setting up the new phone it was the same as the previous phone. Yes, the new phone was a bit more powerful and had a better camera, an incremental change only. Although, each year household appliance manufacturers upgrade their appliances we do not run out and upgrade to those newer home appliances. When the appliance gives up the ghost then we will spend money. Same with the phone, only because usability issues is when we upgrade our phones. Purchasing a new phone gives one bragging rights for six to eight months only.

Lamar Taylor: Thanks to trade in credits…I usually upgrade my personal phone and business phone every year. Samsung has lowered the trade in values this year and as a result I won’t be upgrading my GS22 Ultra business phone. The GS23 Ultra isn’t much of an upgrade and isn’t worth the extra cost due to a lower trade in value. I will be upgrading my personal phone to the iPhone 15 Max. When it comes to speed, battery life, great cameras, and user experience…the iPhone Max is in a league by itself.

Justbob: I usually like to upgrade every 2 years. My LG Wing is over 2 years old and I still think it’s great. Maybe when LG comes out with something better. 😁

Mike Wilmot: No reason to upgrade Galaxy s22 Ultra

Alessandro87: My POCO F3 with custom rom and 256gb will last till 2028 for sure….

Tim: Still using my galaxy S10 that doesn’t last 12hours without a boost but no way in hell I’m spending 1000 or more on a phone in the next few years. And Samsung are deluding themselves if they thing they will sell many s23 ultras at $2000 at all this year.

Tukur49: Don’t think I need a new phone now. Just upgraded from Google pixel 4a to pixel 5a5G.
The phone is still supported upto android 14,have an excellent 4600mAh battery, and is 5G enabled. The camera takes some superb pics.
What more can I want?

gwine: I voted Not Decided, but, to be very truthful, I cannot see any reason to, unless mine packs it in.

Farhan Ahmad Tajuddin: I’m still happy with the LG V50 and LG Wing 5G that I bought back in July 2022. I still love those two phone for being daringly different from the norm. That said, I’m eyeing the official release of the Sony Xperia 1 Mk5 and also looking at the prospect of buying the vivo X90 Pro when the price have gone down over the time.

Raylan125: I got a pixel 7 Pro just after the new year.
Wouldn’t get a Samsung if they offered it for free, with free unlimited calls and data

Andrei A: Yes, I have pre-ordered the Samsung Galaxy S23+. My current phone is a OnePlus 6T which has been struggling for the past year. It’s definitely time for an upgrade. I’ve tried the iPhone 13 Pro (iOS is a disaster) and the Pixel 7 (was not impressed with the camera and since the phone wasn’t officially launched in my region, it had compatibility issues with network operators), so I ultimately decided to go back to Samsung after many years. Hopefully this won’t be a disappointment

lokalkille: No. I got Pixel 6a last year and I intend to keep it for at least five years. It fulfills my needs, camera is great, there is great software support and a good number of custom ROMs.

emgi2: Nope. My 3-year-old phone can run one or two more years. Not upgrading till there are custom roms. Don’t need new one every single year just to be able to chat or play simple games on better chipset even if this one makes the job.