I’ve sold four phones in the last three years, two iPhones, two Androids. The two iPhones sold within a day, close to what I was hoping for. The Androids sat listed for over a week and I ended up dropping the price twice. That’s just one person’s experience, but it turns out the data backs up exactly what I felt happening.
Short Answer: Samsung, Google Pixel, and Apple have well-tracked resale markets in the US and globally, so those numbers come from dedicated resale trackers. Oppo, Vivo, and some smaller regional brands don’t have the same depth of resale data outside markets like India and Southeast Asia, where they’re more dominant. Based on the data that does exist, they tend to depreciate at a similar rate to Xiaomi and Realme, but treat that specific estimate as a reasonable guess rather than a hard, sourced number.
Resale Value Compare
| Brand / Tier | 1-Year Depreciation | Approx. Value Remaining After 1 Year |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone (17 series) | 27 to 33% | 67 to 73% |
| iPhone (16 / 15 Pro) | 28 to 30% | 70 to 72% |
| Samsung Galaxy S / Ultra | 45 to 66% | 34 to 55% |
| Samsung Galaxy A series | 60 to 75% | 25 to 40% |
| Google Pixel (flagship) | 40 to 60% | 40 to 60% |
| Google Pixel (Pro) | 60 to 72% | 28 to 40% |
| OnePlus | 40 to 55% | 45 to 60% |
| Xiaomi / Redmi / Poco | 50 to 65% | 35 to 50% |
| Realme | 55 to 65% | 35 to 45% |
| Oppo / Vivo | 50 to 65%* | 35 to 50%* |
| Motorola | 50 to 65%* | 35 to 50%* |
Transparency disclaimer: Apple, Samsung, and Google Pixel have a good track record for resales in the US, so I found the information in the respective resale trackers. Oppo, Vivo, and Motorola do not have that much resale tracker coverage in the West and they perform better in India, Southeast Asia, etc. When I couldn’t source a brand-specific information, I’ve used reasonable estimates by looking at the nearest comparable tier.
The Actual Numbers
An iPhone that cost you $1,000 might still be worth $700 after a year. A comparable Samsung flagship might be worth $400 to $500. A Pixel could be down to $300 to $400. That’s not a small gap, that’s the difference between recovering most of your money and losing more than half of it in twelve months.
Why iPhones Actually Hold Value Better
It’s not magic, and it’s not just brand snobbery, though that’s part of it. A few real structural reasons explain most of the gap.
Apple commits to roughly six years of software updates on iPhones, and that matters more to resale buyers than people think. A phone that still gets security patches feels current. One that’s aging out of support feels like a countdown clock. Samsung’s actually pushed back hard here too, committing to seven years starting with the Galaxy S24 series, which is part of why their depreciation gap is shrinking faster than Pixel’s.
There’s also just the fact that Apple releases a handful of iPhones a year with consistent naming, so a used iPhone 16 Pro is instantly recognizable and easy to price. Android’s fragmented across dozens of manufacturers and tiers, which makes the used market messier and harder for buyers to trust at a glance. And iPhones simply sell faster with more interested buyers per listing, less time sitting on a listing usually means less pressure to keep dropping your price out of impatience, which is exactly what happened with my Android sales.
The Part Most Comparisons Skip: The Gap Is Narrowing
Here’s what I think gets lost in most of these articles. Samsung specifically has made real, measurable progress the last couple years. That seven-year update commitment is a genuine shift, not just marketing, and it’s already showing up in improved resale numbers for recent Galaxy S models compared to older generations.
Pixel, on the other hand, still lags behind meaningfully. Google’s hardware gets great reviews, but the resale market hasn’t caught up to reward that the way it has with Samsung. If you’re buying a Pixel primarily for camera quality or Gemini’s AI features, that’s a completely valid reason, just go in knowing resale isn’t where Pixel currently competes.
Does This Actually Matter for Your Decision?
Depends entirely on how you use your phones. If you upgrade every year or two and plan to sell or trade in, this gap is real money, we’re talking a few hundred dollars difference on a flagship purchase. If you buy a phone and run it into the ground over four or five years, resale value barely matters, you’re extracting the value through use instead of a resale check.
Worth factoring into a bigger decision too. If you’re weighing an iPhone against a Galaxy flagship specifically, resale is one more point in iPhone’s column, though we found plenty of reasons Samsung wins other categories in that comparison. And if you’re deciding on the Pixel over an iPhone, just know you’re trading some resale value for a lower upfront price and a better camera for the money, which might genuinely be the smarter trade depending on how long you actually keep your phones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does iPhone really hold value better than Android?
Which Android phone has the best resale value?
Is it worth buying an iPhone just for resale value?
How much value does a phone lose in the first year?
Bottom Line
If resale value is a real factor in your budget, iPhone wins, and it’s not particularly close in 2026. But don’t let this be the only thing that decides your purchase. A $200 cheaper phone you’ll happily use for four years beats a phone that resells better but you’re paying more for upfront and might dislike using. Resale value matters most to people who upgrade often, if that’s not you, weigh it accordingly and don’t let one column on a spreadsheet make the whole decision for you.
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