Updated
Updated · The Japan Times · Aug 6
Nicosuma Doubles Used Smartphone Orders After Apple Raises iPhone Prices in Japan
Updated
Updated · The Japan Times · Aug 6

Nicosuma Doubles Used Smartphone Orders After Apple Raises iPhone Prices in Japan

1 articles · Updated · The Japan Times · Aug 6

Summary

  • Orders on Nicosuma more than doubled by noon on July 18 versus both the previous day and a week earlier, just hours after Apple announced higher iPhone prices in Japan.
  • Apple’s price hike exposed how a weak yen is feeding through to handset costs, pushing price-sensitive buyers toward secondhand devices.
  • Belong CMO Yu Tomita called the jump rare and said the only comparable surge was the last iPhone price increase four years ago.
  • The spike also points to broader shifts in Japan’s communications industry that are reshaping how consumers buy popular smartphones.

Insights

As iPhone 17 prices soar in Japan, is the explosive secondhand market a temporary trend or the end of new smartphone dominance?
With a weak yen driving consumers to refurbished iPhones, could this economic shift accidentally trigger a massive win for e-waste reduction?