New research by Yettel and Impetus Research¹ reveals that Hungarians own two mobile devices on average, with their old phone most often kept as a backup. Nearly half (48%) of respondents keep a mobile phone they no longer use at home, which is a clear improvement over last year’s figure of 60%.
When it comes to replacing their phones, the data show that 22% of the urban population in Hungary replace their mobile phone at least once every two years, significantly below the figure for Serbia, where the corresponding rate among a target group with a similar demographic profile is 44%. Hungarians are also more likely to use their devices until they stop working: 33% of respondents said they do so, compared with only around one in ten people in Serbia. This suggests that Hungarian consumers are more likely to extend the useful life of their devices, while Serbian consumers are more open to replacing them more frequently.
In-store drop-off builds trust
Consumers are becoming increasingly open to recycling e-waste. Awareness of the risks associated with storing electronic waste at home has remained largely unchanged. The older people are, the more aware they are that unused mobile phones are considered hazardous waste and therefore should not be disposed of with household waste, while also containing valuable raw materials that can be recovered.
A very high proportion of respondents (84%) have heard of mobile operators’ recycling services. Of those surveyed, 22% have already handed in a used mobile phone through such a service, while more than half (59%) would consider it. The main factors motivating respondents to hand in their devices are receiving cash in exchange for the phone (38%), a voucher or loyalty points (27%), and the assurance that all data will be deleted from the phone (25%).
The proportion of respondents who would be likely to use collection boxes provided for this purpose in operators’ stores increased from 46% last year to 58% this year. An even larger increase, from 45% to 72%, was seen in the proportion of respondents who would hand in their old device if a member of the operator’s staff also provided a receipt in exchange.
What do we expect from a refurbished phone?
Of the mobile phones currently in use, 79% were purchased new, 11% are refurbished, and 10% were acquired second-hand in other ways. The proportion of refurbished devices in Hungary is significantly higher than in Serbia and Bulgaria, where nearly 90% of consumers purchased their devices new, while only 1.5-3% use refurbished devices.
Half of the respondents in Hungary (51%) would consider buying a refurbished device, compared with just one-third of respondents in Bulgaria. According to Hungarian consumers, this would require all data belonging to the previous owner to be completely erased (86%) and a warranty comparable to that of a new phone (85%). When asked about their concerns regarding buying refurbished devices, reliability was the top concern, cited by 62% of respondents. Yettel and Rejoy’s partnership, which began last year, could offer a solution for many consumers. Under the partnership, in addition to its trade-in service for used phones, Yettel also offers devices inspected and refurbished by Rejoy.
Out-of-warranty repairs are also popular. 67% of respondents, up from 54% previously, would have their mobile phone repaired if it broke down. When buying a new phone, a three-year extended warranty is an important factor. 81% would prefer to buy from a operator offering this instead of the usual two-year warranty, while 37% of respondents would definitely choose such an operator. It is worth noting that Yettel offers an additional one-year voluntary warranty on mobile phones and tablets purchased from Yettel, on top of the two-year manufacturer’s warranty.
1 The data was collected by Impetus Research using a computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) survey of 1,000 respondents between 4 and 11 August 2026. The research is representative of the Hungarian population aged 16-65 who own a mobile phone and have a mobile subscription, based on gender, age, region, settlement type, education level, economic activity, and primary mobile operator. People who use only a company-provided mobile phone were not included in the target group.