The telephone industry is one of the most dynamic of all sectors, due to the continuous updates of smartphones, operating systems, applications and accessories. The mobile phone has become a necessity for people and this gift translates into a source of gold for developers.
With the passage of time and, above all, after the end of the last Mobile World Congress, several conclusions can be drawn regarding the consumption of telephony in Spaniards. To begin with, that the Covid-19 has done a lot of damage to the sector in terms of sales, although according to the information that has emerged from the Barcelona congress, smartphone sales have recovered and already in the fourth quarter of 2021, the figures returned to pre-pandemic levels. Of course, all this has been accompanied by an increase in prices, which has surely been influenced by high inflation (although it may have gone unnoticed by most…).
Renewal and prices of smartphones
This recovery is translating into new device launches by the big players that make up the market. Apple, Samgung, Xiaomi and the brands of this corporation, Oppo, OnePlus or anyone we can think of have released their new ranges of devices in recent months.
And furthermore, it is not a new phone, but several smartphone models within the same family. Brands are aware of consumer segmentation, as well as the importance (by reputation) of having both premium mobiles (with prices above 800 and 900 euros) and low cost (with a bracket of between 300 and 500 euros per terminal). Traditionally, Apple had always reneged on the latter, but it has been shown that having an iPhone SE on offer is very beneficial for the Californian company. Not in vain, the latest iPhone SE of 2022 has impressive features for the price that those of the apple handle.
Continuing with the issue of prices, within the framework of the last Mobile World Congress , idealo.es has developed a study in which it takes the temperature of this industry in Spain and reveals that the average cost of these devices has increased by 17.1%. in the last two years .
This rise occurs at a time when inflation in our country reaches positions not seen for 30 years and a crisis due to the lack of microchips and semiconductors that continues to hinder the sector. There is a lot of talk about the prices of electricity, fuel and food, but it is clear that there are many increases in which we are not realizing.
If broken down by brand, Apple takes the gold medal, since the average price of its products is €594, a figure that has increased by 24% since 2019 , according to the idealo study. For its part, the average of Xiaomi and Samsung , the great competitors of the North American company, is between €256 and €496 . Likewise, both multinationals have also experienced a significant increase in the average cost of their products in the last three years of 31% and 45% , respectively.
The eternal fight in the smartphone market: iOS vs Android
When it comes to observing the behavior of Spaniards regarding smartphones, the study carried out by idealo shows that, despite being the mobile brand analyzed with the highest average price, the most demanded mobile in our country was the iPhone 11 during that year, while so far in 2022 the podium is taken by the iPhone 13 . The American giant achieves its best numbers with the youngest segment of society. In fact, among the devices most sought after by centennials , people between the ages of 18 and 24, nine of the top ten positions are covered by Apple models .
All in all, Xiaomi and Samsung are not far behind, despite the fact that the gap that separates them from Apple is widening, as the idealo results show. Among Asian mobiles, the POCO X3 Pro 256GB black has been the most demanded model in 2021 . This terminal triumphs in the most adult strata of society and is positioned as the most sought after by those over 35, a segment of the population in which the iPhone firm loses steam . For its part, the South Korean chaebol is consolidated as the third brand in the pockets of Spanish consumers.
The study carried out by idealo concludes by stating that Apple is the most demanded smartphone brand in Spain and this gold medal is placed in all the autonomous communities. However, Android is the operating system that is most sought after in our territory . Just adding the mobile searches of Xiaomi and Samsung surpasses those of the Silicon Valley conglomerate. In fact, Asian terminals are the ones that generate the most interest, on a podium where North American and especially European devices lag far behind.
“Apple continues to maintain itself, year after year, as the autonomous brand of smartphones, but in a hypothetical case in which Asian brands join together, the apple company would lose its throne,” says Kike Aganzo , head of communication at idealo .es, and adds “another fact to highlight from this research is that the iPhone 12 has been overshadowed by the odd editions of the company and, for now, the iPhone 13 has every chance of becoming the most demanded telephone device by the Spanish in 2022”.