Want more money for your old handset? Buy an iPhone instead of Android, survey suggests

[midian182]

In brief: It's one of the most enduring and often passionate rivalries among tech consumers – Apple versus Android. According to a new report, iPhone users can boast an advantage over those who prefer Samsung, Google, OnePlus, and the others: Apple phones tend to have a higher resale value, making them a better investment.

People tend to do one of three things with their old phones when upgrading to a new model: They either retain it by keeping the handset as a backup or giving it to a friend or family member, it's recycled or donated, or it's sold or traded in, either to a third-party marketplace, a carrier, or the company that made it.

A new survey from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) found that more than twice the number of iPhone owners sold or traded in their device compared to Android owners – 41% vs. 17%.

The findings suggest that there are more and better options for trading in older iPhone models than Android equivalents, something that backs up other reports examining at handset value retention.

CIRP's survey also found that 53% of Android owners held on to their old phones, 13% more than iPhone users, and 30% of Android devices are disposed of, while the figure is 19% for iPhones.

The report concludes that monetizing an old Android phone is "not a winning proposition," meaning few of them are sold or traded in. Another CIRP report found that people generally hold on to iPhones longer, which highlights the strength of their value retention.

Like new cars, smartphones lose their value quickly. A report from SellCell found that the iPhone 15 Pro Max (256GB) held onto its value better than any handset from last year, losing 18.2% of its price three months after launch. The best Android model of 2023 was the Samsung S23 Plus 256GB, losing 35.3% of its value in the first three months post-launch.

On average, across all model variants, the iPhone 15 phones lost 27.9% of their value after three months, the Galaxy S23 series lost 44.5%, the Pixel 7A lost 52.5%, and the OnePlus 11 lost 48.5%. The worst performer was the Galaxy S23 FE, losing 68.4% of its value.

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Want more money for your old handset? Buy an iPhone instead of Android, survey suggests

 

[HeeeF]

Only stupid people buy smartphones at RRP anyway. Especially with Samsungs, you can get a decent slash on the RRP with an .edu email every day of the year.

 

[zx8086]

Hell no. I already use an old (3-4 years?) Android handset. No need to upgrade as long as it performs the basic tasks relatively fast.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

Or save money buying a one year old (new) Samsung. They slash those prices when the new model hits. Then resale doesn't matter.

 

[wiak]

Wait, retained is more on android, does that mean people can use their phone longer than iphones?

 

[TheBigFatClown]

I can buy 5 entry level Android-based phones for the same cost as 1 Apple iPhone. So why would I spend 5x the amount of money just to get more out of resale value later?

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I can buy 5 entry level Android-based phones for the same cost as 1 Apple iPhone. So why would I spend 5x the amount of money just to get more out of resale value later?

Because entry level android suck ***?

Why would I get a steak at a steakhouse whe I could just get 5 mcdonald big macs? Same reason.

You move up to $4-500 android phones, the experience is much more comparable, but then you also have to consider length of updates. Pixels are good now, but they cost as much as iphones. Samsung keeps screwing updates up, and lenovorola only gives you 2-3 years max.

Also, no in person support. Screen breaks, battery fails? Go down to phones r uz and hope they dont break it or steal your data putting in some 3rd party chinese replacement part that barely works.

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

I Always buy a used phone and lots of good ones out there. You just have to shop wisely.

 

[Fanboiism101]

Hell no. I already use an old (3-4 years?) Android handset. No need to upgrade as long as it performs the basic tasks relatively fast.

My phone is already 8 years(?) old at this point. The screen is shattered and I have to keep tab on a replacement battery, but it's doing just fine since I'm not using it for anything other than listening to a podcast, messaging, and phone call. I even took the camera out and repaste my phone with NH-1 just for fun.

 

[MaestroIT]

Buy an iPhone and suffer with customizing and using it as I want just to sell it at higher price? no thanks, I prefer an Android

 

[TheBigFatClown]

Because entry level android suck ***?

Why would I get a steak at a steakhouse whe I could just get 5 mcdonald big macs? Same reason.

You move up to $4-500 android phones, the experience is much more comparable, but then you also have to consider length of updates. Pixels are good now, but they cost as much as iphones. Samsung keeps screwing updates up, and lenovorola only gives you 2-3 years max.

Also, no in person support. Screen breaks, battery fails? Go down to phones r uz and hope they dont break it or steal your data putting in some 3rd party chinese replacement part that barely works.

So I paid just under $200.00 for my last/current Android based phone. I bought just under 2 years ago. I've never needed in-person support for anything. Screen hasn't broke, if it did that would probably be my fault for dropping it in a situation which caused too much impact.
Amazon charges $36.99 for a 2-year protection plan if you are prone to having so many problems with your phones. So, $236.99 to buy a phone that does everything an iPhone does.
I personally don't get the analogy of comparing Android-based phones to hamburgers and iPhones being equated to steaks.
What features am I lacking that truly make the iPhone stand out so much more than Android-based entry phones...other than a "blue" chat bubble? Which I get btw using Googles "Messages" app. We all get blue bubbles using it. Afaik, anyway.