Trade-In Survey Claims iPhone Loyalty Down to 8-Year Low

iPhone loyalty has hit its lowest level since 2011 and Samsung has been the main benefactor, claims a new survey conducted by trade-in service BankMyCell.

The survey, cited by CNET, tracked 38,000 people who had traded in iPhones since October 2018 and found that 73 percent upgraded to a later model. The finding suggests iPhone retention rate is down 15.2 percent when compared with data from March 2018.

The survey suggests that 26 percent of people trading in their iPhone X moved to another brand of smartphone, whereas just 7.7 percent of Samsung users switched to an iPhone.

Using data from other companies to supplement its own findings, BankMyCell said iPhone loyalty is at its lowest since 2011, while the all-time high for iPhone retention was 92 percent in 2017, according to the survey.

That shouldn't distract from this survey's small sample size, which consists entirely of people who have used BankMyCell's own online gadget buyback and trade-in service. Claiming that its data reflects overall iPhone retention rates is therefore questionable.

BankMyCell's data also contrasts with a January 2019 CIRP survey which found that 91 percent of iOS users upgraded to another iPhone. On releasing its report, CIRP additionally said that loyalty for both iOS and Android has steadily increased, reaching the highest levels last quarter that it has ever measured.