This is the most value-retaining smartphone after 5 years

I’m always wondering about how to get the best value when I buy tech, especially when it comes to the kids. They don’t need the latest and shiniest iPhone or Samsung when it launches each year, but they do need devices that are still receiving security updates and maybe an outside chance of feature updates.

Well, on iOS, anyway (yes, Android, we’re talking about you).

It turns out that there is some serious value in some smartphones that are more than five years old at this point, some of which retain a surprisingly high resale price. That hasn’t put me off buying them in the slightest, because they’re still great value, but you may have a few hundred dollars worth of smartphones stuffed in a drawer that you could be making much better use of.

And even if not, you’ll spot a few smartphones that still deliver the goods but don’t cost a mortgage payment to buy. It’s win-win!

One phone brand always retains its value more than most

I’m sure you know who I’m talking about

It’s an iPhone, of course. It’s always an iPhone (or a Mac—Apple’s laptops also retain their value incredibly well). That Apple’s near-universally loved smartphones and other hardware retain their price well probably isn’t a surprise to you, but the real question comes in when you consider how much better it is compared to their competitors.

I looked at smartphones from around five/six years ago, covering 2020 and into 2021. Smartphones around that age are still perfectly usable, making this a really important market for anyone looking to snag a bargain or cash in on their old tech.

Despite knowing that iPhones keep their value better than most other phones, the drop-off in price between MSRP and resale after five years for some devices really surprised me. I’ll delve deeper into the research in a moment, but it seems like Samsung devices really struggle to hold any value, with the Samsung S20 and Samsung S21 both losing more than 80 percent of their value in a five-year period versus around 70 percent for an iPhone.

So, what’s the answer? Which specific phones hold their value, and where are the real bargains to be found?

2020

Another smartphone has snuck up the list here

Smartphones from this time have obviously dropped in value significantly. But the iPhone 12 series, launched in late 2020, has held its value better than all other phones launched that year.

Now, as you can see in the table, there is a slight outlier among the most popular smartphones launched in 2020: the Google Pixel 5, which, due to its lower launch price of $699, has held onto roughly 25% of its value at around $175. So, if you’re selling your old tech and have a Pixel 5 lying around, you could get back around a quarter of what you paid—not bad after five or six years.

But given the iPhone 12 Pro Max selling for just $100 bucks more for much better specs, if you’re looking to pick up a bargain smartphone, it’s a no-brainer if you can afford the extra splash.

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2021

It’s a return to form for Apple

What’s that? Another win for Apple? What else were you expecting? This time, the chart is dominated by Apple’s iPhone 13 series, in particular the iPhone 13 Pro Max with its 120Hz ProMotion display. Its features, like this, and Apple’s guaranteed long support, help its devices keep value over time.

And again, who is at the bottom? It’s a Samsung. This time around, the Samsung S21 lost 82 percent of its value versus the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s 68 percent, which, if you’re trying to sell your old tech, is a big difference.

So, why don’t Samsung’s smartphones hold their value?

They seem to drop faster than most competitors

Credit: Compare and Recycle

Talking about five and six-year-old smartphone resale values always reveals devices that have dropped in price. That’s expected; there is no unique headline here.

But Samsung and other Android-based smartphones devalue faster than iPhones, and have done so for years. You can see from the tables above that multiple generations of Samsung’s smartphones dropped by at least ten percent more than their direct competitors, the iPhone, and even more than other Android devices.

The answer boils down to one thing: market saturation. Samsung and other Android devices are easily available in almost every market, whereas iPhones still carry the air of luxury due to wait times, marketing, aggressive launch pricing, and, in fairness to Apple, extensive feature and security updates.

If you buy an iPhone, you know it’ll receive updates for years, unlike most Android devices. The iPhone 12 series is set to receive updates until 2027, a full seven years after its launch. The Samsung S20 only received three Android updates and five years of security updates, ending in 2025.

Now, Android smartphones from leading brands are receiving better support, with some Samsung devices and Google’s Pixel range receiving up to 7 years of support, finally putting them on par with Apple. But Apple still tops most charts.

Interestingly, some research suggests that the latest Samsung devices are holding their value better than previous generations. Compare and Recycle found that Samsung Galaxy S devaluation is reducing between generations, but very marginally, with the S22 depreciating by 60 percent in the first year, the S23 by 59 percent, and the S24 by 58 percent.

It’s marginal (ever so!), but it could signal a small shift in how certain Android devices hold their value.

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Stick with an iPhone if you want to sell it later

Overall, across multiple categories, Apple’s devices hold their value better than most. You can still find Macs from 2012 for a few hundred bucks, despite being basically ancient at this point, and the iPhone resale prices you’ve seen further illustrate this.

So, if keeping some value in your tech is your goal, stick with Apple.