Despite the increasing popularity of Smartphones, a recent survey showed that users had more problems with Smartphones than with other mobile handsets.
The result was revealed in a first ever electronic products opinion survey conducted by the Consumer Council from February to May last year. Of the 1,610 respondents, 97% possessed from 1 to 7 mobile phones with the average of 1.6 mobile phones per person.
For users who acquired their mobile phones first hand from authorized dealers, 32.9% owned Smartphones. In the experience of the respondents, the fault rate of Smartphones was 49.3%, which was higher than that for other mobile handsets (42%).
The most common problems experienced by mobile phone users were "cannot switch on / off normally" and "voice call problems".
The survey also showed that 36.5% of the respondents changed to a new mobile handset every 2 to 5 years, and 25% had replacement within 2 years.
The main reasons for changing to new mobile phones were: damage of the handsets (53.4%), functions outdated (20.8%) and change of model (10%).
Apart from the mobile phones, the electronic products survey also covered audio-visual players / recorders, digital cameras and handheld digital camcorders to find out users' experiences with these products.
Details of the survey can be found in the January issue of CHOICE.
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