Brazilians paid $289 on average for smartphones in 2014
Brazilians are spending more on smartphones and sales have gone up - and the local market will continue to grow even though the country is facing a recession, according to recent research.
Last year, consumers in Brazil have spent an average of R$900 ($289) in smartphones in 2014, up from R$700 ($225) in 2013.
The main reason for the 28.4 percent increase is the need to stay connected round the clock, according to a survey by Qualcomm and Brazilian polling firm Ibope Inteligência.
Some 26 percent of Brazilians currently own a smartphone, according to the survey. 2002 consumers of various social backgrounds were polled for the survey across all regions of Brazil.
All of the Brazilian smartphone users surveyed have Internet access and 80 percent use 3G or 4G services. Some 60 percent of smartphone users access the web through prepaid Internet services.
Out of those polled, 80 percent check their smartphone for notifications every half an hour, while 36 percent do so every five minutes.
According to a separate study by IDC, 54,5 million smartphones were sold in Brazil during 2014, a 55 percent increase on 2013.
The analyst's prediction for 2015 is that the market will grow 16 percent, with 63,3 million devices sold despite the country's challenging economic climate.