iPhone 12 Holds Its Value Over 20% Better Than Samsung Galaxy S21 Range

Apple's iPhone 12 lineup holds its value over 20 percent better than the Samsung Galaxy S21 range, according to data gathered by SellCell.

galaxy s21 iphone 12 pro max
Despite having been on sale for considerably less time than the ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup, with orders arriving from late January this year, the Samsung Galaxy S21 series is failing to hold its value as well as its main competitor.

By measuring each handset's suggested retail price against its monthly and total depreciation based on the value of "good" and "used" devices, SellCell was able to precisely calculate the depreciation of each device.

The ‌iPhone‌ 12 range has lost value by 18.1 to 33.7 percent since its launch in October 2020. The Samsung Galaxy S21 series, on the other hand, has seen significant depreciation of between 44.8 and 57.1 percent since its launch in January 2021.

The 64GB ‌iPhone‌ 12 and the 512GB ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro lost the most value with depreciation of 33.7 percent, while the 128GB iPhone 12 Pro Max was the smallest loser with depreciation of just 18.1 percent. The 512GB ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌, as the most expensive ‌iPhone‌ 12 model, still performed much better than the equivalent most expensive Samsung Galaxy S21 device, the 512GB Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, which lost 53.3 percent of its value.

Similar losses are seen across the S21 lineup, with the 128GB Galaxy S21 losing 50.8 percent of its value, and the 256GB model losing 57.1 percent. Despite only launching in January 2021, all of the Samsung S21 handsets have lost almost 50 percent of their value, which seems like a very substantial loss considering they have only been on the market for three months.

It is also worth noting that, compared to the ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup, the S21 range costs more in a direct like-for-like comparison. Samsung's most expensive smartphone, for example, costs $1,599, compared to Apple's $1,399. This means that the losses on the Samsung devices are also much larger by the dollar as well as by percentage.

While the ‌iPhone‌ 12 handsets have also depreciated, their losses have occurred at a considerably slower rate, and a significantly lower percentage, not to mention the overall lower initial retail prices. This is also amid the ‌iPhone‌ 12 series having a two-month head start on launch. The markedly better performance of the ‌iPhone‌ 12 series in terms of resale value may be attributed to better existing demand for the same devices after the point of the initial sale.

Tag: Samsung
Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

Serban55 Avatar
40 months ago
This is the case for over a decade...same applies to tablets , laptops etc
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
metalsiren Avatar
40 months ago

This is the case for over a decade...same applies to tablets , laptops etc
yep , one of the reasons I like my apple products, they hold their values better.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gaximus Avatar
40 months ago
Has an iPhone ever NOT had better resale value than any competing phone?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macOS Lynx Avatar
40 months ago
Is this a surprise? Even with the recent efforts by Android OEMs to support their devices for longer, the fact is without a lot of user intervention, these devices aren’t supported for very long.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
randomgeeza Avatar
40 months ago
I'm not surprised. You can't give Samsung products away in my household or social circle.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mossback Avatar
40 months ago
Even if they paid me I wouldn’t use a samsung phone.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Delta Feature

Delta Game Emulator Now Available From App Store on iPhone

Wednesday April 17, 2024 9:58 am PDT by
Game emulator apps have come and gone since Apple announced App Store support for them on April 5, but now popular game emulator Delta from developer Riley Testut is available for download. Testut is known as the developer behind GBA4iOS, an open-source emulator that was available for a brief time more than a decade ago. GBA4iOS led to Delta, an emulator that has been available outside of...
iOS 18 Siri Integrated Feature

iOS 18 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Friday April 12, 2024 11:11 am PDT by
iOS 18 is expected to be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. iOS 18 is rumored to include new generative AI features for Siri and many apps, and Apple plans to add RCS support to the Messages app for an improved texting experience between iPhones and Android devices. The update is also expected to introduce a more...
iOS NES Emulator Bimmy Feature

NES Emulator for iPhone and iPad Now Available on App Store [Removed]

Tuesday April 16, 2024 11:33 am PDT by
The first approved Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) emulator for the iPhone and iPad was made available on the App Store today following Apple's rule change. The emulator is called Bimmy, and it was developed by Tom Salvo. On the App Store, Bimmy is described as a tool for testing and playing public domain/"homebrew" games created for the NES, but the app allows you to load ROMs for any...
iGBA Feature

Apple Removes Game Boy Emulator iGBA From App Store Due to Spam and Copyright Violations

Sunday April 14, 2024 9:22 pm PDT by
Apple today said it removed Game Boy emulator iGBA from the App Store for violating the company's App Review Guidelines related to spam (section 4.3) and copyright (section 5.2), but it did not provide any specific details. iGBA was a copycat version of developer Riley Testut's open-source GBA4iOS app. The emulator rose to the top of the App Store charts following its release this weekend,...
iPhone 15 Pro Action Button Translate

All iPhone 16 Models to Feature Action Button, But Usefulness Debated

Tuesday April 16, 2024 6:54 am PDT by
Last September, Apple's iPhone 15 Pro models debuted with a new customizable Action button, offering faster access to a handful of functions, as well as the ability to assign Shortcuts. Apple is poised to include the feature on all upcoming iPhone 16 models, so we asked iPhone 15 Pro users what their experience has been with the additional button so far. The Action button replaces the switch ...
iGBA Feature

Game Boy Emulator for iPhone Now Available in App Store Following Rule Change [Removed]

Sunday April 14, 2024 8:06 am PDT by
A week after Apple updated its App Review Guidelines to permit retro game console emulators, a Game Boy emulator for the iPhone called iGBA has appeared in the App Store worldwide. The emulator is already one of the top free apps on the App Store charts. It was not entirely clear if Apple would allow emulators to work with all and any games, but iGBA is able to load any Game Boy ROMs that...