Asian Tech Press (Oct 12) -- There will be more than 1.3 billion active iPhones by the end of 2023, of which over 50% will be second-hand models, according to a new forecast by analyst firm CCS Insight.

The firm's report suggests that the lifespan of iPhone devices is increasing.

CCS Insight predicts that the average lifespan of an iPhone will increase to eight years starting in 2024.

The firm has been tracking the second-hand device market for the past few years, finding that the iPhone is one of the most popular of all types of second-hand smartphones.

"We have seen a huge surge in interest in the second-hand technology market over the last few years," said Leo Gebbie, principal analyst at CCS Insight.

The biggest reason for this, he believed, is the lack of major upgrades to the current iteration of iPhones.

"The iPhone 15 has just come out, and it is incrementally better than the iPhone 14, which was incrementally better than the iPhone 13," Gebbie said.