The iPhone is no longer an investment. The percentage of value to the resale of Apple mobiles continues to deteriorate, while that of the Samsung Galaxy S is improving. At this rate, the Galaxy S26 could become easier to amortize than the iPhone 17.
IPhone are durable devices that can easily be sold without losing too much their value. Or at least, this was the case before. A recent study by Sellcell assesses the depreciation of high -end smartphones from Apple, Samsung and Google since 2021 and predicts the loss of value of the models of the next generations. And clearly, the apple brand seems to lose an advantage over its competitors.
The depreciation of the iPhone 16 after five months of marketing would reach 35.4 %. An increase rate year after year. It was 30.1 % for the iPhone 15, 31.4 % for the iPhone 14, or 24.7 % for the iPhone 13. The iPhone seems to lose their value more and more quickly. They remain more profitable than the Samsung Galaxy S, which revolve around 45-50 %. But for the South Korean manufacturer, there is a certain stability, even a regression of the loss of value.
The IPhone resale value could tumble
Soon, Buying a Samsung smartphone could become more interesting than buying an iPhone in terms of damping. The report believes that the depreciation of the iPhone will continue to accelerate, when that of the Galaxy S will be reduced. So that the two curves could cross in 2026 with the iPhone 17 and the Galaxy S26. The study predicts that the iPhone will lose (still after five months) 42.6 % over all of 2026, against 44.8 % for the Galaxy S. In 2027, the iPhone will rise to 46.1 %, against 43.1 % for Samsung smartphones. And this would still be widening in 2028. The iPhone would be worth almost half of its original price (49.7 %), the Galaxy S 41.3 %.
The Galaxy S are on the other hand anomalies in the Android ecosystem. For Samsung foldables, the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip, we are rather at 60 % loss of value after five months. Google pixels are around 55 %, but the data also includes the foldable model, more difficult to resell, and the Pixel A of mid -range.