GoKawiilDhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
Earlier this week, Apple fundamentally shifted how it expects people to buy high-end tech. With the official launch of Apple Upgrade, its hardware-as-a-service model, Cupertino replaced its legacy iPhone Upgrade Program with a true-blue leasing option.
Leasing high-end silicon across iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches for predictable monthly fees acknowledges a truth that most of us have felt over the last few years, and more so recently. Dropping well over $1,000 upfront for a depreciating asset like a smartphone is becoming harder to justify.
And if Google and Samsung want to keep their flagship Pixel and Galaxy devices competitive amid rising component costs, they cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. The traditional buy-and-hold ownership model isn’t on its way out just yet, but I can see a future where leasing your hardware becomes the default, especially as carrier schemes grow increasingly restrictive.
First-party leasing is the logical next step for smartphone ownership, and Android manufacturers need to follow suit before Apple locks in an even larger share of ecosystem loyalists.
Would you consider leasing your next smartphone instead of buying it? 180 votes Yes, if the monthly price is reasonable. 32 % Yes, if insurance is included. 11 % No, I'd rather own my own smartphone. 52 % I'm not sure yet. 4 %
The myth of smartphone ownership in 2026
Stephen Radochia / Android Authority
For almost its entire existence, the tech industry has operated on a simple premise — you buy a phone, you own it for two or three years, and then you trade it in to offset the cost of your next upgrade. But that formula isn’t quite as straightforward anymore.
For one, premium flagship smartphones now sit squarely above the four-figure mark, driven up by expensive mobile AI chips, advanced camera optics, and broader supply-chain pressures. Asking consumers to shell out $1,000 to $1,500 every couple of years is not easy, especially when annual generational leaps feel more iterative than revolutionary, not to mention the broader economic uncertainties.
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