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