Stats show five years of falling prices coming to an end as smartphones become more expensive than tablets.
The average smartphone price has fluctuated significantly over the past five years, going from over $318 in 2021 to $287 in 2024. While many welcomed this 10% price drop, the following years are expected to bring just the opposite trend.
According to data presented by AltIndex.com, the average price per unit in the smartphone market is expected to jump by almost 15% and hit over $328 in 2029 – the highest increase among all tech devices.
Today, smartphones use various advanced technologies to enhance performance, functionality and user experience. However, these tech innovations, including AI and machine learning and the introduction of more mid-range and premium models, come with a cost.
Since 2019, the average price of Apple’s iPhone increased by approximately 23% or $188 – reaching close to $1,000 in 2024.
Android smartphones saw an even bigger increase in this period, with their prices rising by 29% to an average of $335 – pitched as relatively modest compared to the premium pricing trends in the iPhone segment.
According to a Statista survey, most people will spend much less than that on buying a new smartphone, or $287, the average smartphone price in 2024.
However, this figure will increase in the following years. Statista expects the average smartphone price to grow for five years in a row and hit over $328 in 2029 – 15% more than this year. Thanks to this price jump, the largest among all tech devices, smartphones will become more expensive than tablets.
Statista expects the average price per unit in the tablets segment to grow by 3% and reach $315 in 2019 – or $13 less than in the smartphone market.
Laptops will see a 6.6% price growth in this period, rising from $706 in 2024 to $753 in 2029.
The average prices of digital cameras and VR headsets will remain unchanged while desktop PCs are the only devices with a projected price drop of 1%.
Due to economic conditions, market saturation and shifts in consumer behavior, global smartphone sales are expected to drop by $12 billion year-over-year to $467 billion in 2024.
However, with people spending an average of $40 more on a new device and the number of smartphone users rising, the revenue in the smartphone industry will increase significantly in the next five years.
Statista expects global smartphone revenue to grow by almost $100 billion and hit over $562 billion by 2029.
One-quarter of that value – or $137 billion – will come from China, the world`s largest smartphone industry. The United States and India follow with an 11% market share each and roughly $63 billion in smartphone sales revenue by 2029.
