refurbed research reveals nearly half of Irish festival goers plan to buy a new smartphone despite looming price hikes

Nearly half (45%) of Irish festival goers are likely to buy a new smartphone ahead of this summer’s festival season, according to new research from Ireland’s leading refurbished tech marketplace, refurbed, despite growing concerns that global chip shortages are set to increase the cost of new smartphones.

Yet while refurbished devices could offer a lower-cost alternative, fewer than one in three (30%) festival goers would consider buying a refurbished smartphone, while 61% would opt for a brand-new handset.

Published ahead of Electric Picnic, the findings highlight the increasingly important role technology plays in festival preparation, with smartphones remaining the must-have purchase for many attendees, despite reported price hikes.

Among those planning to buy a smartphone before attending a festival, more than half (52%) said they want a device to capture photos and videos, while 41% want a phone with longer battery life and greater reliability over a festival weekend.

Other reasons include staying connected through messages and social media (35%), replacing a lost, broken or outdated device (27%), entertainment (22%), and concern that an existing phone could be lost or stolen (12%).

The research also found that smartphones are just one part of festival tech shopping lists this summer. More than half (53%) plan to buy a portable charger or power bank, while 38% are purchasing headphones. Cameras (29%), smartwatches (22%), and speakers (21%) also feature among the most popular festival technology purchases.

Outside smartphones, attitudes towards refurbished technology are significantly more positive. Overall, 62% of festival goers said they would be likely to buy refurbished technology for their upcoming festival, while just 4% said they would not buy technology specifically for festival season.

Speaking on the findings, refurbed CEO and co-founder Kilian Kaminski said: “It’s clear that tech purchases and festival prep now go hand in hand, but the fact that nearly half of festival goers are planning to buy a brand-new smartphone for a weekend raises an obvious question: do you really need a new phone, or do you just need your existing one to work reliably?

“Whether it’s capturing photos and videos, making sure your battery lasts or staying connected with friends, having a reliable device has become an important part of the festival experience. However, buying a brand-new handset for a festival feels like an expensive and unnecessary upgrade when a refurbished device can deliver the performance and reliability people need, for less.

“With new smartphone prices expected to rise, it’s time to challenge the idea that ‘new’ automatically means ‘better’. For festival season, your phone needs to be reliable, it doesn’t need to be the latest model.”

As part of its mission to become Europe’s destination for sustainable shopping, refurbed premium offers the chance to buy devices in like-new condition, with no visible signs of wear, full functionality and at least 90% battery capacity. Customers can also choose to have a new battery put in their refurbished smartphone at purchase.

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