FEWER, BUT MORE EXPENSIVE MOBILES

That is what Jan Røsholm, CEO of the Foundation Electronics Industry, which compiles sales statistics for consumer electronics and household appliances, says.

– Norwegians often choose flagship models when buying mobile phones, and mobile sales increase by 1.3 percent in 2025. Here we must remember that retail prices will vary depending on subscription type, data volume, and contract length, says Røsholm.

Mobile phones last longer

A consumer survey conducted by the Foundation Electronics Industry at the beginning of the year by Norstat shows that we are keeping our mobile phones for longer periods.

– The time we keep our mobile phones has increased steadily every year from 32.5 months in 2020 to 43.2 months in 2025. Now we keep our phones for an average of around 3.5 years, says Røsholm.

This increase is seen across all age groups and is almost the same between women and men.

– We now see that those under 30 years old are the ones with the greatest increase in keeping their phones longer. We believe this is due to both the high cost of mobile phones and considerations of sustainability and the environment, says Røsholm.

Since the consumer survey includes people aged 15 and older, younger mobile users are not included.

A few less used mobiles

According to the Norstat survey, 238,000 used mobile phones were sold in 2025, a slight decrease from 282,000 used mobiles sold in 2024.

– The decline in used sales is explained by the fact that we keep mobile phones longer, and that new sales are also slightly down. There is still a good sale of used mobile phones, says Røsholm.

Tablets for more

Mobile phones, together with tablets, make up the second largest main category in the industry statistics, with a turnover in 2025 of almost 10.2 billion kroner. Tablet sales have had a steady decline over the past seven years, from 546,000 units sold in 2019 to 300,000 units in 2025. However, tablet turnover is up 1.5 percent from 2024 to 2025, to a total of 1.65 billion kroner.

– Mobile screens are getting bigger and probably replace some of the need for separate tablets for some, says Røsholm.

Smartwatches and bands

The smallest category in the industry statistics is portable smart equipment that measures training and activity levels. In 2025, 439,000 smartwatches were sold, compared to 600,000 the year before. Sales of simpler smart bands were 90,000 in 2025, while 120,000 units were sold in 2024. In total, this category had a turnover of 1.8 billion kroner in 2025.

– We have a decline for both product groups in 2025 and also in 2024, but this category was the winner in 2023, with over 1.1 million units sold, so many probably still have those watches around their wrists, says Røsholm.