Apple take top spot as best flagship investment for value retention
- Study of trade-in values crowns Apple as best smartphone investment
- Sony take bottom spot, losing 76.4% of the value on average
- Latest Sony Xperia 1 II loses 69% of value in just 2 months
- News comes as Apple rumoured to launch a new handset in upcoming months
Sony Xperia 1 II owners have lost £12.86 a day, with the phone’s value plummeting from £1,099 to just £340 (69%) since its release just two months ago, according to a new market depreciation study.
The study of over 60 handsets from online phone retailer, comparemymobile.com saw the Japanese tech giant rank worst for depreciation, while Apple took the top spot, ahead of a rumoured iPhone 12 launch later this year.
With the average cost of a flagship handset sitting at around £800, the study found that opting for an Apple iPhone, could save customers hundreds of pounds when it came to trading it in.
Depreciation league table
| Rank | Brand | Average handset cost | Average drop in value | Average deprecation |
| 1 | Apple | £885 | £427 | 48.25% |
| 2 | Oneplus | £602 | £328 | 51.51% |
| 3 | Samsung | £884 | £506 | 57.21% |
| 4 | Huawei | £594 | £423 | 71.19% |
| 5 | £705 | £537 | 76.26% | |
| 6 | Sony | £737 | £563 | 76.41% |
* Figures based on most 3 most recent flagship phone releases (including multiple variants of a phone) e.g. iPhone SE, iPhone 11/Pro/Pro Max & iPhone XR/XS/XS Max
The study compared the trade in prices for flagship handsets from major handset manufacturers across recent release windows including Apple, Google, Huawei, Samsung, Sony and OnePlus, to find out the smartphone with the best return on investment for would-be buyers.
Of the brands studied, Apple came out on top for value retention, with iPhones retaining 52% of their value on average over three years. In comparison, Sony owners could expect to lose more three quarters (76%) of their handset value, with its recent Xperia 1 II, having already lost £759 (69%) of its £1,099 price tag in just two months.
Best and worst flagship phone investments 2019/2020, by brand
| Phone model | Launch price | Trade in value | Rate of deprecation (per day) | Total deprecation | |
| Apple | |||||
| BEST | iPhone 11 | £729 | £521 | £0.67 | 28.53% |
| WORST | iPhone 11 Pro | £1,049 | £566 | £1.55 | 46.04% |
| OnePlus | |||||
| BEST | OnePlus 8 | £599 | £420 | £1.99 | 29.88% |
| WORST | OnePlus 8 Pro | £799 | £350 | £4.99 | 56.20% |
| Samsung | |||||
| BEST | S20+ | £999 | £591 | £2.43 | 40.84% |
| WORST | S20+ Ultra | £1,199 | £646 | £3.49 | 46.12% |
| Huawei | |||||
| BEST | P40 | £549 | £267 | £2.27 | 51.37% |
| WORST | P40 Pro | £899 | £374 | £4.23 | 59.05% |
| BEST | Pixel 4 XL | £829 | £336 | £1.45 | 60.09% |
| WORST | Pixel 4 | £699 | £267 | £1.77 | 59.47% |
| Sony | |||||
| BEST | Xperia 1 II | £1,099 | £340 | £12.86 | 69.06% |
| WORST | Xperia 1 | £849 | £160 | £1.62 | 81.14% |
Perhaps most surprisingly, budget-friendly brand OnePlus comfortably beat out Samsung to take the number two spot in the table for value retention, with handsets holding roughly half of their value. However, those considering its latest model may want to stick with the standard Oneplus 8 (£599), which holds its value nearly twice as well as its bigger brother, the Oneplus 8 Pro (£779).
The report comes following a recent study of 2,000 UK adults from comparemymobile.com which found that nearly quarters (73%) of people switch their handset every two years, with just one in 10 (10%) holding onto a phone for more than three years.
Rob Ballie from comparemymobile.com commented:
Flagship handsets can be eye-wateringly expensive, and if you’re like to majority of people who like to ditch and switch every few years, opting for an out-of-fashion brand could leave you hundreds of pounds worse off.
Our report found Apple retains value far better than any other brand on the market, despite its rivals slowly closing the gap on flagship costs, making the iPhone the most solid investment on the phone market today.
For instance, those who opted for an iPhone 11 (65gb) last year would be nearly twice as better off than those who opted for the comparative Samsung or Huawei models, with handset holding onto 71% of its value compared to just 41% percent from its rivals.
While the findings are good news for iPhone owners, those looking to upgrade to the new rumoured iPhone 12, should start considering their trade in options now, as the value of their handset will likely dip following the latest release.
For even more tech news, click right HERE.