Looks matter more than practicality when it comes to buying smartphones

SMARTPHONE shoppers mainly care about how a new device looks and feels when choosing their next handset, scientists have found.

Researchers looking at what motivates customers most discovered the more attractive the phone, the stronger the emotional relationship consumers will feel towards the product, which will ultimately influence their decision whether to buy it.

Technical characteristics and the practicality of the phone were lower on the list when it comes to buying a new device, according to experts’ analysis.

Dr Francisco Javier Rondan, an associate professor at the University of Seville in Spain, said: “The most important influence on the purchase of a mobile phone is what it looks like.

“We have seen that the social value or colour of the mobile, however, are questions that matter less to the consumer.”

The most popular mobile phones from last year all had flat screens with rounded edges and could fit comfortably in the palm of a hand – between 4.7 and 5.5in. Customers spent between £235 and £560 on average for the most popular handsets with these design features.

The Spanish study was based on a sample of almost 390 responses from Brazilian and Chilean smartphone users, and was published by researchers from the Catholic University of North Chile and the University of Seville.