Android smartphones depreciate much faster than the iPhone

SellCell looked at technology deprecation and created a great report revealing the least and most deprecated high-tech devices, including smartphones, tablets and smartwatches.

It’s no secret that technology depreciates over time, and as new technological advances are constantly being made, it can be difficult for an old device to keep up with newer versions.

Technology depreciation is an unpredictable game – sometimes the products that depreciate the fastest are the ones least expected, and sometimes the underdog wins.

To show depreciation levels for tech products through 2022, comparison site for phone and tech exchanges SellCell has compiled a report on device depreciation through the end of 2022.

SellCell compared data from Google, Samsung, and Apple devices to a range of other technologies, including tablets, smartphones, gaming consoles, and smartwatches.

Apple’s iPhone holds the smartphone crown and Sony’s PS5 takes the top spot

Biggest Winners 2022 (Highest Value Devices)

1. smart phone: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 2021, discounted by 44.6% of MSRP until December 11, 2022.
2. Tablet: 2021 Apple iPad Pro 11 3rd Generation loses only 56.7% of its value by December 2022.
3. smart watch: Apple Watch Series 7 45mm aluminum, down 71.2% of MSRP by December 2022.
4. game console: Sony PlayStation 5 has written off 25.0% of its MSRP through December 2022.

2022 Biggest Losers

1. smart phone: Google 2016 Pixel XL, written down by 98.6% of its original value by December 2022.
2. Tablet: Samsung 2018 Tab A 10.5, 94.8% lower than MSRP in December 2022. Samsung 2021 Galaxy Tab A7 Lite, 86.9% lower.
3. smart watch: The 2020 Samsung Watch 3 45mm lost 95.6% of its original value by December 2022.
4. game console: The Nintendo Switch Lite 2019, which was written off by 65.0% of its value by December 2022. The Xbox Series S, which has been written down by 53.3% of its original MSRP.

Apple was the clear leader in most categories. On average, iPhone depreciation across all models was about 68.8%, up from 58.7% in January 2022. Similarly, in December 2022, the iPad saw an average loss of 67.9%.

Unfortunately for Samsung, the same cannot be said for its smartphone models, as the average depreciation across all models was around 84.2% through December 2022. In January 2022, this value was already high at 76.4%. Samsung tablets have also lost 84.3% in value through December 2022.

Similarly, Google’s Pixel line saw an average depreciation of 89.5% through December 11, 2022.

Interestingly, smartwatches in general saw a significant drop in value regardless of manufacturer, with Apple Watch models losing about 83.3% of their introductory price and Samsung smartwatches declining in value by 87.9%.

Gaming consoles experienced the lowest depreciation of all technologies compiled in the report:

• Sony PlayStation 5 (25%)
• Microsoft Xbox Series X (36%)
• Nintendo Switch (43.3%)
• Microsoft Xbox Series S (53.3%)
• Nintendo Switch Lite (65%)

SellCell.com COO Sarah McConomy commented on the report’s findings:

“Technology in general depreciates relatively quickly as new models of smartphones and tablets are constantly being released, each improving on the previous generation with additional features and higher specifications. Given the high demand and popularity of Apple products, it’s no surprise that they’ve come out on top in most categories this year,” she says.

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SellCell’s key findings

• The most powerful smartphone is the iPhone 13 Pro Max with a depreciation of only 44.6%.
• The best performing device overall is Sony’s PS5, which only loses 25.0% of its value.
• Apple beats Samsung across all smartphones, losing an average of 68.8% of its value versus Samsung’s 84.2%.
• The worst performers are Google’s smartphones, losing an average of 89.5% in value across all models.
• The iPhone undeniably holds its value better than any other handset. For smartphones released in the last three years, the iPhone 14 Pro Max 128GB lost just 26.9% of its MSRP since launch in September 2022 and the iPhone 13 Pro Max 128GB lost just 21 between January and December 21 39.9% of its value.
• In terms of Apple flagships launched in the last three years, the iPhone 14 Pro Max 1TB from the Apple 14 Pro Max lineup has performed the worst, losing 36.8% of its value since September 2022 . The iPhone 13 Mini 512GB is Apple’s overall worst performer in 2022 as its value depreciates by 58.5% (which is still excellent compared to some Android phones).
• Among the Android smartphones launched in the last three years, the best depreciation performance is the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G 128GB, which has lost 58.2% of its value since its launch. The Pixel 6a is Google’s most valuable phone, having lost 66.6% of its value since its launch in July 2022.
• Apple also performs well on tablets. The 6th Gen iPad Mini is the most powerful model of 2021, losing just 52.2% of its value. The Samsung Tab S7 FE (2021) has lost 75.3% of its value since 2021.

• The Apple Watch Series 7 (41mm aluminum model) lost just 16.2% in value between January and December 22, while the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 2021 (44mm) lost just 13.6% in value.
• When it comes to gaming consoles, Sony’s PS5 is the undisputed champion. Despite a 2020 release, the console is still holding its value well, with a 15.0% drop in value in 2022. Since launch, it has lost a total of 25.0% of its RRP.
• Apple’s latest 128GB iPhone 14 Pro Max appears to be the best performer, down 26.9%, despite Apple only releasing it late in the third quarter, so it doesn’t include 12-month data.
• The iPhone 13 Pro Max 128GB is the best performer with a full 12 months of data, losing just 39.9% of its original launch value in 2021.
• Apple’s worst performer is the SE 2nd Gen (2020) 64GB, which lost 79.7% of its starting MSRP.
• The best performing Samsung smartphone is the Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G 128GB, which lost 58.2% of its value. The 256GB model has lost 58.8% of its value since launch.
• Samsung’s S20 5G 128GB is the worst performer. In fact, it is the worst performer overall, losing 85.8% of its value.
• Google takes the middle ground. The Pixel 6a retained the greatest value, with a 66.6% depreciation from its launch RRP. However, Google didn’t release the handset until July 2022.
• The phone with the biggest depreciation from Google is the 128GB Pixel 5, which is down 80.7%.