J.D. Power & Associates has ranked Sony Ericsson the highest in satisfying customers who have owned their current mobile phone for less than two years, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 U.S. Wireless Mobile Phone Evaluation StudySM –Volume 2 released today.The study measures customers’ satisfaction with their wireless handsets based on five key performance factors. In order of importance, these are: physical design (24%); operation (22%); features (20%); handset durability (19%); and battery function (15%). Sony Ericsson receives the highest ratings from customers in handset durability, and also performs particularly well in features and battery functionality. LG, Sanyo and Motorola, respectively, follow Sony Ericsson in the overall rankings.The study finds that the average reported purchase price for a wireless handset has increased for the first time in two years. 

J.D. Power & Associates has ranked Sony Ericsson the highest in satisfying customers who have owned their current mobile phone for less than two years, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 U.S. Wireless Mobile Phone Evaluation StudySM –Volume 2 released today.The study measures customers’ satisfaction with their wireless handsets based on five key performance factors. In order of importance, these are: physical design (24%); operation (22%); features (20%); handset durability (19%); and battery function (15%). Sony Ericsson receives the highest ratings from customers in handset durability, and also performs particularly well in features and battery functionality. LG, Sanyo and Motorola, respectively, follow Sony Ericsson in the overall rankings.The study finds that the average reported purchase price for a wireless handset has increased for the first time in two years.

The average purchase price cited by users for a mobile phone is $94—up $8 from the first volume of the study in 2006, which was released in May—and marks the highest average price paid for a phone since 1994, when phones averaged $99. The increase in the average purchase price can be partially attributed to the recent surge in popularity of thin phones, such as the Motorola RAZR, and music-enabled handsets, both of which typically have higher price points when first offered. The average reported purchase price for wireless handsets owned for less than six months is $102, much higher than the average price paid ($89) for the same ownership period last year. The study also finds several key wireless handset usage patterns:

• The average replacement cycle for a typical handset is 16.6 months—a notable decrease from 18 months in 2005.
• Handset features that are used most frequently include: the speakerphone (32%); camera capabilities (27%); services to send/receive short messages (25%); and gaming (16%).
• More than one-half of all current wireless users compared other handset brands before selecting their current wireless phone. Those customers who compare phones during the selection process are more likely to be satisfied overall with their current handset than those who do not.

Volume 2 of the 2006 U.S. Wireless Mobile Phone Evaluation Study is based on experiences reported by 21,679 wireless users who have owned their current mobile phone for less than two years. The results are from the two most recent study reporting waves, which were conducted in April and July 2006.