iPhone Retains More Value Than Top Galaxy Models

A recent study has revealed that iPhones retain more value than the top Samsung Galaxy models. Samsung is supposed to be more and more popular everyday, therefore gaining marketshare and retaining it's important reputation for being so great at making new smartphones. But is it? The report actually shows that the iPhone is considered to be the most valuable phone out there. 

The iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, Samsung Galaxy S3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (all of them used, not new) were compared in the recent report, which shows US eBay auction prices for these smartphones. Piper Jaffrey analyst Gene Munster, who comducted the research, wrote "The key takeaway from 8 weeks of data is that the iPhone is holding slightly more of its value compared to the top two Galaxy phones." In the picture above you can see that the iPhone 4S lost only 7% of its value in the past two months, the iPhone 4 lost about 8.8% and the iPhone 5 was deprived of only 11%. It's a different story with Samsung . The S3 is currently auctioned at 13.9% less than its original value and the Galaxy Note 2 comes in at a staggering 15% below its actual selling price. These figures might not sound that bad but believe me, they're important for the sellers; who want to get the highest amount of money for their phones. 

So, if you are thinking of buying the iPhone 5 now (from £530/$649 on pay and go) and selling it next year to buy the new model; you will get roughly £471/$577. If you want to do the same with a Galaxy S3 and buy it now from £430/$500, the selling price after a year would be roughly £370/$430. Now, if you're the buyer you want the price to be as low as possible, after all that's why you wanted to buy a used phone in the first place. I advise you to check the prices on eBay, and if you are one of those people who prefers to buy phones straight from the manufacturer (e.g. Apple and Samsung) they refurbish the unwanted used phones and sell them for lower prices - just check their websites. 

iPhone sales have declined over the past couple of months. This suggests that people are either expecting the release of the iPhone 5S/6 soon; or their preferences have changed. Munster stated "We believe that the iPhone aftermarket price should continue to decrease as we approach an iPhone 5S launch, which we expect at the end of the month of September." It looks like this research highlights the reason why Samsung is popular. Their smartphones are much cheaper than Apple's and they're not any better. Price matters most in the smartphone world, so what is cheaper is considered to be better in this case, but it's really not. Every single Apple fan will of course say that the iPhone is better, in some aspects it is and in some it isn't. What I can confirm is that it is the most valuable phone out there.