Skip to main content

The 'upgrade effect' is why you seem to break your iPhone when a new one's out

iphone upgrade effect 6 broken display
Kyolshin/123RF
We are subconsciously more careless with our iPhones when looking for a reason to upgrade to the latest model, according to a new study which has documented the phenomenon. Researchers at the Columbia Business School found that incidents of loss peak shortly before the launch of a new device, with a peak in damage occurring after the new model is released.

It’s called the upgrade effect, and is a result of the “gotta have it” consumer culture we live in. Marketers bombard us with reasons why we need to get the latest and greatest, and apparently we respond to it — even if we don’t realize it.

Recommended Videos

Our need to upgrade isn’t unique to the Apple faithful. Researchers in the past have linked an increase in cavalier attitudes toward other possessions when newer and better versions are available. Data further suggests that this isn’t necessary intentional: it’s more of a subconscious reaction than anything.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The behavior was observed even among those who think they always take good care of their stuff. These people also showed an increase in more careless behavior when new models came to market. Some of us might notice it in our own behaviors (anecdotally, I broke every iPhone I’ve ever owned — except for one — late in my ownership of them and when plenty of juicy details on the next device were out).

“We would feel guilty about upgrading without a reason — but if our current product were damaged or depleted, we’d have a justification to upgrade without appearing wasteful,” study co-author Silvia Bellezza was quoted by Mashable as saying in a statement. “So we use our phone in the rain or leave our laptop behind at airport security without being aware that our carelessness has an underlying motivation.”

The researchers used a dataset of 3,000 lost iPhones, along with an online survey of 602 iPhone users. This was compared with lab data on similar behaviors surrounding mugs, glasses, and other items, which found a similar pattern.

The study will be published in a future issue the Journal of Marketing Research.

Ed Oswald
For fifteen years, Ed has written about the latest and greatest in gadgets and technology trends. At Digital Trends, he's…
The next iPhone SE may get a surprising name change
iPhone SE (2022) held in a mans hand.

The iPhone SE 4 is the long-awaited next entry in the iPhone SE lineup. Information about the device has been scarce, with only a few bits of information leaking out here and there, but now there's a newer, more surprising rumor: that the name of the next iPhone SE might actually be the iPhone 16E.

The news first broke in mid-December from a source that's relatively unknown in the U.S. and was limited to just Weibo. Now, Majin Bu, a tipster with a much more solid track record, shared a post on X recently that supports the news.

Read more
The good and bad of Apple Intelligence after using it on my iPhone for months
Apple Intelligence on iPhone 15 Pro.

Whether you love or hate it, AI doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon. In fact, AI is evolving quite rapidly, and it’s now in the palms of our hands with our smartphones, as Google, Samsung, and even Apple have now fully embraced our AI future.

Though Apple was late to the game with Apple Intelligence, the company majorly hyped it up for the iPhone 16 launch in September, even though, amazingly, it did not roll out until October with the iOS 18.1 update. The staggered release schedule for Apple Intelligence confused many consumers as to why they did not have Apple Intelligence immediately with their iPhone 16 purchases, and it felt like a big misstep from Apple.

Read more
I’m a longtime iPhone user. This was my favorite Android phone of 2024
Pixel 9 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro.

What a whirlwind 2024 has been for the mobile industry. We got all the usual suspects releasing their flagship phones for the year, and it was certainly an impressive slate of options.

As you may know, I’ve been an iPhone user since the original, and I’ve had every generation of iPhone, including the iPhone 16 Pro this year. But since I joined Digital Trends a couple of years ago, I’ve got my fill of Android phones, too. And this year, this is the one that stood out to me the most: the Google Pixel 9 Pro.
The pink Pro phone I was looking for

Read more