Your Samsung Galaxy Phone Is Now Even More Valuable
This is according to the used-smartphone marketplace Sell Cell, which has analyzed the resale prices of Samsung, Apple and Google phones over the last three generations. The company has found that Samsung phones are depreciating at a slower rate with every release, while the opposite is true for Apple phones, which are losing more value with every launch.
In essence, this means newer Samsung phones such as the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S24 command a higher price on eBay and Swappa than previous generations. This is good news for people who sell their phones on the open market instead of trading-in directly with the manufacturer, but also bad news if you buy second-hand phones.
Despite the opposing directions of travel, the iPhone remains the most valuable phone on the market in terms of resale prices. This has been true for years and continues to be one of the strongest reasons to buy an iPhone.
But Sell Cell thinks that could change between 2026 and 2028, with Samsung eventually overtaking Apple.
'iPhone depreciation rose 10.7 percentage points from 24.7% in 2021 to 35.4% in 2024. Samsung's Galaxy S depreciation improved by 5.3 percentage points, falling from 51.9% in 2022 to 46.6% in 2025.
We averaged the annual change for each brand — Apple's depreciation increases by about 3.57 percentage points per year, while Samsung's decreases by about 1.77 points per year. Extrapolating these trends forward, the crossover for Samsung Phones to meet iPhone's average retained value is projected for mid-2026.'
Is Samsung's AI Supremacy Making Its Smartphones More Valuable?
Sell Cell makes the argument that Apple's struggles with rolling out Apple Intelligence on the iPhone 16 might play a role in the increased speed of iPhone depreciation. Samsung, meanwhile, has had functional Galaxy AI features since the Galaxy S24.
In a December survey, the company found that while the vast majority of Samsung and Apple device owners aren't convinced by mobile AI, 16.8% of iPhone-using respondents said they would consider switching over to Samsung for better AI tools.
Mobile AI is still very much in its early stages (Apple's hasn't even properly landed yet) and I'm not entirely convinced it plays a significant role in people's purchasing decision. A CNET survey from June found that only 11% of U.S. smartphone owners chose to upgrade because of AI, with price, camera features and battery life being the most important reasons, as they have done for years.
I suspect a combination of Samsung's high trade-in prices for older phones, the promise of seven years of software support and new foldable tech (which Apple doesn't have) also explains slowing Galaxy phone depreciation numbers. While used-phone sellers rejoice, higher second-hand pricing may ultimately push people towards buying brand new devices instead.
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