Cost of smartphones in Switzerland falls for first time since 2019

For the first time in five years, the average cost of phones sold in Switzerland has dropped, new data from Digitec Galaxus has revealed. The push for more affordable mobile phones has been driven by competition and once-groundbreaking technology becoming cheaper.

How much do people in Switzerland spend on phones?

According to the data, the average cost of a phone sold in Switzerland in 2024 so far stands at 510 Swiss francs. While this is still above the 472 franc average reported in 2019, it represents the first time that mobile phone prices have fallen in five years, having dropped from the peak of 544 francs reported in 2023.

The largest phones with a screen diagonal of 6,5 inches or more are now an average of 421 francs, as opposed to 803 francs in 2019. Speaking 20 Minuten, Digitec Galaxus expert Andrea Fricke said that “the current strong competition in this segment explains the drop in prices.” - the arrival of Xiaomi and Oppo has been instrumental in cutting prices across the board.

Swiss youth more keen to spend on the latest phones

By contrast, the cost of mid-sized phones has only fallen slightly, while the re-emergence of tiny smart and flip phones has seen their prices shoot up from around 450 Swiss francs in 2022 to over 600 francs in 2024. Fricke said this was “probably due to the fact that the price of larger components is lower than that of smaller ones with the same performance."

In terms of who is most likely to secure the cutting-edge smartphone, the report found that those under 24 years old are the biggest spenders. The age group spends 577 francs on phones on average, 13 percent more than average and 18 percent more than those aged 34 to 54.