Through 2020-2021, cell phone trade-in site BankMyCell tracked 310 device resale values from multiple vendors, hourly. The report shows which smartphones are most likely to bleed resale value by brand, model, and operating system — and Apple’s iPhone is the clear winner.
In 0-24 months, flagship Android devices depreciate double the rate of iPhones
° In one year, the current average depreciation of a new iPhone’s trade-in value is 16.70%, compared with Android’s -33.62%.
° In two years, the current average depreciation of a new iPhone’s trade-in value is -35.47% compared with Android’s -61.50%.
° After four years, the gap begins to close, with iPhones losing an average of -66.43% of their initial buyback value, compared with Androids -81.11%.
iPhone 11 vs. Samsung Galaxy S20 buyback Prices (Apple wins big)
The iPhone 11 range equated to 12.35% of all the trade-ins going through the site in 2020, Samsung’s rival flagship, the Galaxy S20 range, head to head in price retention:
° TheiPhone 11 lost 12.84% of its trade-in value in the whole of 2020, compared with the Galaxy S20 losing -34.73% in only nine months since launch.
° The iPhone 11 Pro lost 21.31% of its trade-in value throughout 2020, compared with the Galaxy S20+ losing -30.59% in only nine months since launch.
° The iPhone 11 Pro Max lost 15.96% of its trade-in value in the whole of 2020, compared with the Galaxy S20 Ultra losing -36.30% in only nine months since launch.
Galaxy S20 vs. iPhone 11 depreciation
BankMyCell says that if we were to look at the depreciation from the devices launch day price, brand new and in a box, not the initial trade-in value above, the data is much more shocking:
Nine months after the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra release, the buyback price was 64.71% less than its original retail value. By comparison, in the same nine-month timespan from release, the iPhone 11 Pro Max had lost -32.22% from its original retail value.
Apple’s Black Swan: iPhone SE 2020 resale value plummets in eight months
It wasn’t all sunshine and roses for Apple, the iPhone SE 2020 did not follow the -16.70% average decline in year one. Like the trends budget Android devices, the iPhone SE 2020 lost an average of -38.32% of its resale price eight months:
° The iPhone SE 2020 (64GB) retailed for $399, had an initial used buyback price for $290, and ended the year on $175 (-39.66%).
° The iPhone SE 2020 (128GB) retailed for $449, had an initial used buyback price for $350, and ended the year on $220 (-37.14%).
° The iPhone SE 2020 (256GB) retailed for $549, had an initial used buyback price for $380, and ended the year on $235 (-37.14%).
In comparison to the iPhone SE, budget Android devices lose an average of -52.61% in year one
On average, Android devices with launch prices of $350 or under lose half their trade-in value in just 12 months. Owners of popular budget smartphone brands like Samsung, Motorola, LG, HTC, and Google lost an average of -52.61% of their trade-in value in 2019-2020.
° Budget Android devices retailing for $350 or less will lose an average of -52.61% of their resale value in year one, -73.61% year two, -85.15% year three, and -94.90% by year four.
° One popular example, the Samsung A50 lost -79.94% of its trade-in value from March 2019 to December 2020.
° Another example is the Motorola G7 range, which lost up to -74.17% of its trade-in value in nine months in 2019, then a further -61.97% between Jan-Dec 2020.
Note: for accuracy in the report, BankMyCell excluded limited time trade-in/upgrade campaigns from brands & carriers.
