Refurbished smartphones: consumers look to savings over sustainability
This report is available to those subscribed to the Digital Consumer module.
The global market for pre-owned, refurbished mobiles is growing significantly. The latest GSMA Intelligence consumer survey asked users about their intentions, including whether they would consider purchasing refurbished smartphones, the reasons for doing so, and their expectations for price discounts. The survey findings have important implications for operators, smartphone OEMs and other ecosystem players in terms of positioning, potential revenue benefits and the wider promotion of circularity schemes.
Related research
Industry Checkpoint: consumer eSIM, Q3 2025
As the telecoms industry and wider digital ecosystem evolve at an unprecedented rate, regularly assessing major developments and their implications is more important than ever. This edition of the Industry Checkpoint series focuses on consumer eSIM, highlighting how the market has changed in the last six months and its implications.
Consumer eSIM: device and MNO service trackers, and adoption forecast to 2030
With eSIM adoption set to accelerate from 2026, this tracker provides data that can be used to formulate or adjust eSIM commercial strategies and offers.
Industry Checkpoint: consumer devices, Q3 2025
This edition of the Industry Checkpoint series focuses on consumer devices, highlighting how the market has changed in the last six months and its implications. The report considers four major developments: innovation expanding beyond smartphones to wearables and the smart home; smart glasses seeing a revival; chipmakers intensifying efforts with generative AI; and direct-to-device strategies increasingly becoming a regional play.
Authors
How to access this report
Annual subscription: Subscribe to our research modules for comprehensive access to more than 200 reports per year.
Enquire about subscriptionContact our research team
Get in touch with us to find out more about our research topics and analysis.
Contact our research teamMedia
To cite our research, please see our citation policy in our Terms of Use, or contact our Media team for more information.
Learn moreRelated research
Industry Checkpoint: consumer eSIM, Q3 2025
As the telecoms industry and wider digital ecosystem evolve at an unprecedented rate, regularly assessing major developments and their implications is more important than ever. This edition of the Industry Checkpoint series focuses on consumer eSIM, highlighting how the market has changed in the last six months and its implications.
Consumer eSIM: device and MNO service trackers, and adoption forecast to 2030
With eSIM adoption set to accelerate from 2026, this tracker provides data that can be used to formulate or adjust eSIM commercial strategies and offers.
Industry Checkpoint: consumer devices, Q3 2025
This edition of the Industry Checkpoint series focuses on consumer devices, highlighting how the market has changed in the last six months and its implications. The report considers four major developments: innovation expanding beyond smartphones to wearables and the smart home; smart glasses seeing a revival; chipmakers intensifying efforts with generative AI; and direct-to-device strategies increasingly becoming a regional play.
- 200 reports a year
- 50 million data points
- Over 350 metrics