New research suggests most electronics are rubbish and about to break.

A German study looked at planned obsolescence in consumer electronics and found that their lifespan is getting shorter.

But even though manufacturers intend for their devices to break – often moments before they release an updated version – consumer desire for new things is making many replace their gear before its time.

The study was undertaken by Öko-Institut researchers on behalf of the German environment agency.

The German government wanted analysts to investigate consumers’ reasons for replacing electrical and electronic appliances, to find out whether manufacturers are purposefully shortening product life spans to boost sales.

The researchers found that the proportion of devices sold to replace a defective one grew from 3.5 per cent in 2004 to 8.3 per cent in 2012, something they deemed a “remarkable” increase.

They also found the amount of large household appliances that needed to be replaced within their first five years of use grew from 7 per cent of total replacements in 2004 to 13 per cent in 2013.

But the study concluded that built-in obsolescence was not the only reason for the rapid turnover of electronics.

It found that consumers’ rampant need to buy new gear was a major factor as well.

A third of all replacement purchases were motivated by a desire for a better unit, and made while the old one was still functioning.

Consumers appear increasingly keen to swap their televisions for versions with larger screens and better picture quality, despite 2012 stats showing more than 60 per cent of replaced televisions were still functioning.

Interestingly, the desire to upgrade a functioning laptop appeared to have lessened, the researchers said.

The study was undertaken as part of a Europe-wide push to assess and improve the environmental impact of electronic consumption.

EU nations are discussing ways to use resources more efficiently by creating new standards for durability and repairability under the Ecodesign Directive, a law that is largely focused on energy efficiency at the moment.