Is the rental of smartphones interesting compared to the purchase? We compared several models

We were approached by Next Mobiles which offers smartphones for rent. The opportunity to ask yourself if their offer is interesting depending on the smartphone you are interested in.

Whether it’s the release of the iPhone 14, the Xiaomi 12T Pro or the future Galaxy S23 Ultra, it is natural to be reluctant to buy a brand new device the year of its release. The cost that this represents, faced with the risk of loss or breakage, discourages more than one. So when Next Mobiles contacted us to tell us about their phone rental offer, we opened our eyes.

The company launched three years ago is surfing the subscription economy. Without speaking about “Smartphone Netflix», remember that driven by the famous sVoD platform among others, the global subscription market is progressing at full speed. If it weighs 200 billion today, it should grow to 500 billion by just 2025, according to a report by Subscronomics from 2021 (via Digital). In this context, it is therefore not surprising that some are trying to sell subscriptions to use a smartphone. But is it a good plan? From what we have seen, the offer seems fair.

With the subscription, what am I entitled to?

Let’s quickly explain the formula proposed by Next Mobiles. For the price of the subscription, you obviously have the right to use the chosen phone, that goes without saying. In addition to this, the phone is covered by theft and breakage insurance.

“Very early on, we said to ourselves that if we made a rental offer, we wanted customers to be completely 100% undisturbed. We therefore take care of everything: breakdown, oxidation, breakage, whether on a new or a refurbished smartphone.abounds Fadel Bennouna, founder of the company, who affirms that in two, the company took charge of 100% of the cases.

In the event of a problem, everything goes through the customer area where you just have to describe the problem before being called back. Of course, in the event of theft, which is also covered, you will have to provide a complaint. There is no deductible on breakage and oxidation, but not on theft, which imposes a deductible depending on the model, visible when signing the contract.

In the event of breakage or breakdown, the procedure is simple: a delivery man comes with the new phone and takes the old one before leaving. The recovered phone, if it is still in good condition, will be rented out this time in refurbished condition. If it was already refurbished, it will be resold as refurbished.

Is it financially attractive?

The most enticing promise of Next Mobiles is this: every 12 months, you can change your phone to the newer model of the same range, while paying the same price. What largely retain its customers and make the combination more interesting.

But the idea goes even further: you have no interest in keeping the old phone once the twelve months have passed, since it is a rental of which you will not keep anything the day the contract ends. stopped. So let’s do some tests to see the financial interest of the maneuver.

Excluding promotion, count 34.90 euros per month with a contribution of 80 euros for a new Galaxy S22. This amounts more or less to investing 500 euros the first year, then 418.80 euros the second. If we keep it for two years, it’s not necessarily the most interesting. Having paid 918.80 euros, we are well beyond the basic 809 euros to own a Galaxy S22.

On the other hand, where the formula can fly is that after 12 months, you can opt for the brand’s new smartphone at the same price and without change fees. Clearly, if you had started using a Galaxy S22, after 12 months, you have the option of taking a Galaxy S23 for 34.90 per month, without contribution, or 418.80 euros per year.

It’s a small budget, but if you look closer, for 918.80 euros, you used two devices around 800 euros each. Admittedly, if you interrupt your subscription, you have nothing left, but for all the phone fans who don’t want to hole their wallet, we can be on to a real good idea.

We can also have fun making the ratio between the cost per year and the cost of the phone on each brand, and whatever happens, it is generally interesting if you plan to change your phone before the two years. do not expire.

Here you will find a table summarizing the cost of the main models after two years. It represents a certain sum all the same.

Is it eco?

From the moment the telephones are used several times in this model (up to 3 times over 36 months), one could legitimately think that this practice is green. Do not try to convince yourself that you are doing a good deed for the environment by going through this type of service, since as we demonstrated above, unless you like throwing money down the drain, the format encourages you to change mobiles regularly. But the best way not to pollute is still not to consume new products, and therefore to buy a good model that you will keep for as long as possible (as you already seem to be doing).

On this subject, Fadel Bennouna defends his model by arguing that it allows the smartphones they buy to experience up to three lives. A first in new rental, a second in reconditioned rental and a third, if it is in good condition, for sale on the reconditioned market after 36 months.

Everyone is free to find their balance in all of this. Admittedly, the model allows phones to live several lives in one, but we can also point out that it encourages rapid renewal of one’s own phone, at a time when the renewal rate is tending to slow down.

It should be added that the company is aiming for a refurbished grade “very close to new” and tests the phones itself. The batteries are changed almost systematically. All this can increase the energy bill a little and reduce the interest of such a model if you are looking to reduce your carbon impact.

What brands are available?

The platform only offers Samsung, Apple and Xiaomi smartphones. But Fadel Bennouna assures us that the Google Pixel should arrive from the 1st quarter of 2023.

In general, it is a model dating back two or three years maximum. Next Mobile is of course also affected by shortage issues. It is therefore more complicated to find the latest iPhone Pro between September and December for example.

The platform is of course thinking of further extending its range by eventually offering watches, tablets or PCs, but the idea is still only in the draft stage.

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