Why Galaxy phones can't keep up with iPhones in the second hand market

Countless market reports over many years have revealed that iPhones tend to hold their value better compared to Samsung's Galaxy phones. Apple's devices typically sell at a higher price while equally premium Galaxy devices lose more in the secondary market.

A recent report shows that this trend continues to be strong in Apple's favor, as iPhones outpaced Samsung devices in both developed and emerging markets in the first half of this year.

A new research report from Counterpoint Research reveals that Apple saw a 7% jump in used phone sales during the first half of 2025. It was particularly impressive in developed markets where the year-over-year increase was an admirable 12%. Meanwhile, Samsung only saw a 4% increase in used phone sales globally during the first six months of the year.

What's more impressive is that Apple was able to sustain its momentum in the second hand market despite the overall sluggish growth for this segment, it's only up 3% year-over-year. The company sees strong demand for models like the iPhone 13 and 14 while Samsung faces difficultly in both supply and resale value for its premium devices.

One major reason why Apple continues to outperform Samsung here is its exceptional trade-in ecosystem in the United States. The report highlights that one in three iPhone owners either trade-in or sell their existing iPhone buying buying a new one.

This contributes to a healthy supply of used iPhones on the secondary market, the scale of which Samsung hasn't been able to replicate, despite consistently offering the best trade-in values for Galaxy phones through its online store.