A very capable smartphone currently costs ~200€, so if prices rise by 50% (an unbelievable amount), that would be 300€. Certainly not nothing, but car repairs or a new dishwasher are much more expensive.
I expect the poorest to benefit the most from extended longevity, since more affluent people "need" the better camera or a more fashionable design the most.
I know quite a few people with >3 year old smartphones, but mostly with custom roms, since stock firmware isn't usable anymore.
1. 100 euros is a lot of money to the poorest people in society. Many of them can't afford a car or dishwasher.
2. "longevity" means nothing when most people keep dropping their phone. Even used phones that appear perfect can start bootlooping months after buying because of damage caused by the first owner and the eBay seller won't accept returns by than, even if you could prove it was not caused by you.
Most people I know get a phone case to limit damage to their phone. A case is an inexpensive investment that usually pays for itself many times over.
Someone who is really clumsy or in a situation where they are much more likely than average to drop their phone should purchase phone insurance.
And for uninsured people who happen to break their phone, it would still be cheaper to repair it than to get a new one. Repaired phones still benefit from longer support lifecycles, and the proposed legislation would ensure that spare parts are affordable and available.
A case is fantastic at protecting the outer areas of the phone by being a layer that comes in contact with the ground. They do fuck all to protect the internals as the forces still exist and can break a phone months down the road from the drop.
That contrasts sharply with my experiences, having dropped phones that were adequately protected by cheap cases on many occasions. These phones were still working fine years later, with no internal or external damage. Users who are more concerned about phone damage can buy tougher multi-layer cases, which are still great investments.
I expect the poorest to benefit the most from extended longevity, since more affluent people "need" the better camera or a more fashionable design the most.
I know quite a few people with >3 year old smartphones, but mostly with custom roms, since stock firmware isn't usable anymore.