Brand loyalty in the smartphone market has long been dominated by Apple, but how does that loyalty look in 2026?
To find out, SellCell, a site for selling used phones, surveyed over 5,000 smartphone users across iPhone and Android devices, exploring whether users plan to stay with their current brand, what drives those decisions, and where switchers are heading next.
Compared to SellCell’s previous Phone Brand Loyalty Surveys in 2021 and 2019, the latest data shows a clear shift: loyalty has increased across the board, while switching has declined. Here are key points from the survey:
° iPhone loyalty stands at 96.4%, up from 91.9% in 2021.
° iPhone switching stands at 3.6%.
° Android loyalty stands at 86.4%, with switching at 13.6%.
° Android users are nearly four times more likely to switch than iPhone users.
° Samsung loyalty stands at 90.1%, up from 74% in 2021.
° Samsung switching stands at 9.9%.
° Google loyalty stands at 86.8%, up from 65.2% in 2021.
° Google switching stands at 13.2%.
° The loyalty gap between iPhone and Android now stands at 10 percentage points.
° Price and value are the biggest drivers of switching.
° Technology is the second biggest driver.
° Overall, loyalty has increased across all major brands since 2021
Brand Loyalty Over Time (2019–2026)
° iPhone loyalty has increased from 90.5% in 2019 to 91.9% in 2021, and now 96.4% in 2026.
° Samsung loyalty fell from 85.7% in 2019 to 74.0% in 2021, before recovering to 90.1% in 2026.
° Google followed a similar pattern, dropping from 84.0% in 2019 to 65.2% in 2021, then rebounding to 86.8% in 2026.
° The data shows a clear dip in loyalty across Android brands in 2021, followed by a strong recovery in 2026.
° Apple, by contrast, has shown consistent growth across all three studies.
° Overall, loyalty is now at its highest recorded level across all major brands, with the market becoming more stable over time.
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