An Android budget/flagship smartphone is likely to lose close to half its resale value one year after purchase.
This according to a recent smartphone depreciation report that was published by BankMyCell.com, a cell phone trade-in website.
iPhones on the other hand lose just about 25% of their resale value after the first year, which is by all standards quite good.
The Samsung Galaxy S10+ for example lost about 46% of its value within just first nine months after it launched, compare this to the iPhone XS Max which lost approx. 26% of its value 12 months after it launched.
That’s a horrible depreciation rate for the Samsung Galaxy S10+ and quit painful especially if someone is looking to upgrade their phone to the next flagship model.
To further add some details into this, iPhone that had a day 1 trade value of Ksh. 85,000 will have an estimated value of Ksh. 24,000. While an Android flagship with an identical day 1 trade value will have a value of Ksh. 14,200 after the same period.
Brand-wise, Nokia smartphone lost the least of their value while Motorola device lost close to 60% of their value.
This also brings forth the question of why the Android smartphones seems to depreciate at a rate higher than iDevices. The most probable explanation could be because of demand and supply.
Android has about 75% share of the market and hence for every one iPhone we have three Android smartphones.
With more Android devices on the market, the resale value for second-hand will logically be lower than the iPhone whose supply is limited.
The other issue could be about perception. An iPhone is a status symbol in most markets and in some instances some will prefer a second-hand iPhone over a mid-range Android smartphone.
It’s an irrational action, but the heart wants what it wants.
However, the research gives an important dimension to consider when planning to splurge on a premium smartphone, if you care about the resale value of your smartphone, the latest iPhone will in the long-term maximize your value.
Related: Study Reveals that Smokers Prefer to use Android Smartphones
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Kevin is a tech enthusiast and the lead writer at MobiTrends.co.ke. He has been writing about smartphones and tech related topics since October 2012. About Us | Contact Us
