Consumers are spending more money on PCs and smartphones according to new study

Market analytics firm Gartner is predicting that consumers will spend upwards of 600 billion USD on new smartphones, PCs, and other ultramobiles this year compared to 587.2 billion USD in 2016. This is in spite of a predicted 2 percent increase in the price of new electronics YoY.

The source is claiming that the increase in prices for the consumer is due to two reasons: The growing market price for electronic components and a shift to higher quality devices instead of cheaply made units. Consumers around the world are becoming more likely to open their wallets wider for higher-end smartphones and laptops rather than spending tighter budgets on entry-level gadgets.

Gartner Research Director Ranjit Atwal provided his take on the current consumer trend of moving away from cheap electronics towards premium alternatives:

"Across the world, the device market is becoming less price-sensitive. Consumers and businesses are seeking better products that suit their lifestyles, rather than just opting for the cheapest products"

As for desktop PCs and notebooks, Gartner foresees a drop from 205 million devices sold by the end of 2017 to 191 million devices by the end of 2019. Nonetheless, the sales of higher-end models are expected to increase from 60 million to 82 million during the same time frame. Overall smartphone sales should rise slightly from 1.91 billion units to 1.95 billion.

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