Deutsche Smartphone-Nutzer hielten ihre Geräte länger in Gebrauch
According to a survey by the IT industry association Bitkom, published on Thursday, people in Germany are keeping their privately purchased and self-financed smartphones in use for a longer period and replacing them much later than in the past. Only a third (35 percent) currently have a device that is less than a year old. In 2024, it was 43 percent and in 2023, even 55 percent. Almost half (47 percent) use their smartphone for longer than two years. A year ago, it was still 27 percent. The average age of a self-purchased smartphone is currently 24 months – in 2024, it was still 17.5 months. In total, 73 percent of those who use a smartphone for personal purposes bought it themselves. Six percent use a gifted smartphone and 19 percent use their company’s device also privately.
The average price per smartphone is increasing slightly. In 2024, the average price was 591 euros per smartphone and for the first time, it has exceeded 600 euros (likely 605 euros) this year. In the average, users plan to spend a maximum of 262 euros for their next smartphone – in 2024, it was 241 euros. This is an average value that includes both affordable smartphones with a mobile contract and devices without a contract.
Smartphones are now in daily use for a much longer period than in the past. It shows that the younger the users, the more time they spend with their device. People aged 16 to 29 years old use their device on average for almost 3.5 hours a day – a total of 212 minutes. Two years ago (2023), it was still 177 minutes in this age group. Those aged 30 to 49 years old estimate their daily usage to be an average of 158 minutes (2023: 151 minutes) and those aged 50 to 64 years old, 148 minutes (2023: 144 minutes).
Even among seniors over 65 years old, the average daily usage time has increased significantly and now stands at 103 minutes – 23 minutes more than in 2023 (80 minutes). Overall, the daily smartphone time across all age groups is an average of 155 minutes (2023: 143 minutes).
Eighty-two percent of smartphone users can no longer imagine a life without the device. 66 percent feel more secure in their daily routine due to the smartphone. However, there are also recurring feelings of annoyance or discussions when the smartphone is used too intensively in the eyes of others: 73 percent are annoyed when others look at their phone during a meeting. 63 percent are also bothered by the fact that even small children use a smartphone.
For the survey, Bitkom Research interviewed 1,004 people in Germany from the second to the fifth calendar week of 2025 by phone, aged 16 and above.