The smartphone remains the most used device in the Czech Republic. Moreover, Czechs use smart watches and smart TVs more often than laptops. Less than one percent of people use VR glasses daily and awareness of the metaverse remains low, according to our new survey.

According to the latest Deloitte Digital Consumer Trends global study, which annually maps the behaviour of more than 36,000 respondents from 4 continents and 21 countries, including the Czech Republic, the smartphone is the most used device for 98% of Czech men and women. Thanks to its multifunctionality and portability, domestic users do not let it out of their hands for several hours a day.

"When choosing their new phone, Czechs most often demand high battery life, storage or a quality camera and camera. On the other hand, sustainability features such as carbon footprint, easy repairability or the use of recycled materials are the least important to them. Since people buy a smartphone on average more than once every three years, making the right choice is crucial for them," says telecommunications expert and TMT group leader at Deloitte Jan Kudlák.

Smartphones are about to get even smarter

Smartphones, which Czechs use on average a hundred times a day, still offer a lot of room for further benefits. For example, more than one in four Czechs would welcome a digital driver's licence on their phone, just as the government recently launched so-called eDocuments, which in the first phase will enable the gradual transition of ID cards to electronic form. Younger groups (18-24 year olds) who are more familiar with technology are the most open to this; almost half (48%) of them would like to use their smartphone as a driving licence and 29% as a passport. These figures contrast with 27% and 19% respectively in the other age groups.

"I believe that smartphone authentication is a gamechanger that extends their usefulness, indispensability and also relevance to consumers. My colleagues and I expect this year to be a successful period for smartphones, even though sales are forecast to decline. In fact, the importance of smartphones is reinforced by their growing five billion user ecosystem," says Jan Kudlák, who at Deloitte helps with strategy and technology transformation for Europe's largest operators.

Smartphones will continue to play a key role in payment authentication, but may also be important for other activities such as accessing certain websites, unlocking vehicles, entering buildings or verifying identity, with usage expected to reach trillions. This authentication is to be extended to prevent fraudulent access to online accounts, notably through two-factor authentication (TFA) and access keys, which should replace passwords in the medium term. As cyber threats increase, they may thus become important devices that find a balance between their size, performance, connectivity, security and trustworthiness.

The next most used devices in the Czech Republic are smartwatches (73%) and smart TVs (82%), which users also prefer over laptops (66%). Next, Czechs report using technology mostly for one function and in one place. These include games consoles (31%) and VR glasses, which less than one per cent of people use regularly.

Sustainability and mataverse

Even if Czechs have good intentions when choosing equipment, environmental concerns rarely determine the final choice. Moreover, for some equipment it is difficult to find information on environmental impacts. On the one hand, 79% of Czech men and women tend not to throw broken electronics in the garbage and 64% make an effort to repair them before proceeding with a replacement; on the other hand, only 8% of respondents regularly discuss their carbon footprint with their family or friends and only 9% know the extent of their carbon footprint.

"These are not flattering numbers and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that people don't buy consumer electronics often enough to make sustainability and ecology a major issue for them. On the other hand, for goods that they buy regularly, their attention to sustainability becomes more evident," adds Jan Kudlák.

One of the other questions focused on knowledge of the metaverse, which remains low. The proportion of Czechs who said they know what it is was 17% last year and 16% in 2022. Yet global companies are increasingly focusing on metaverse as spatial technologies and industrial applications that use AI and data turn metaverse into an enterprise tool to simulate and replicate real-world processes, create digital twins, support safer and more efficient workplaces, or prototype new equipment. Expected to generate nearly $100 billion globally by 2030, the industrial metaverse may overtake some traditional segments.

The full survey including TMT predictions and tech trends can be downloaded here: