Friday
Oct122012
How much can you get for your iPhone 5 or Galaxy S III?
Friday, October 12, 2012 at 12:35PM Good spot from Peter C. regarding the retail values of iPhone 5's and Galaxy S III's. If you want to sell a 64GB iPhone 5 to CEX you will get £744 in cash.
A mint condition Galaxy S III (32GB) will get you just £252 in cash.
Obviously the iPhone 5 is more expensive and is newer, but even so the gap in this instance is much greater than would be expected.
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Reader Comments (24)
Proves iPhones hold their value for longer. But at least I know where to sell mine now and get the Note 2 and end up in profit.
Well, it has only been out a few weeks and supply is constrained, which is why they seem able to give you more than you paid Apple for the damn thing. It's no secret that Apple resale values are good, but I suspect this price will fall quite rapidly once the initial pent-up demand is satisfied.
You can get much better for a GSIII, I'm sure on eBay. I got £450 for a GSII. As for the iPhone, I bought it for £700 and sold it for £500 a year later with no trouble. I was pleased by that, but it's still about a 28% drop.
Gavin, you're joking right? Think of the iTunes! ;o)
There won't be another iPhone released for a year and (judging by past policy) it won't be discounted in that time. Of course it's going to hold its value better than something that's already been superseded (by the 2GB RAM LTE S3 and arguably the Note II and LG Optimus G). The normal 16GB S3 is now available for £420 inc VAT from Clove.
Not so good for me if I decide to get a Note II of course. My gf's Note II fits in my pocket surprisingly well and it's an amazing device. The split-screen alone is fantastic; I've never seen that on any other phone and only on one non-Windows tablet (the Note 10.1). The battery life is also huge.
@Gavin sell your S3 and Iphone 5 and have lots of money for the Note 2 and lots of acessories!
Jah. My S3 has been sold a few weeks ago now to a friend of mine.
How are you finding the Note 2 ?
Bug Blatter. Not joking. So so tempted. But iTunes and Eco system are holding me back. Curse.
Apple products are very good value and that's a fact. In this field nobody can compete. All other devices will drop their value very fast. One thing I think makes Apple products hold to their value is the ability of being able to update their OS constantly... even the very old 3GS. And that amazes me and gives value to each device.
On the Android there's not such thing. Yes, devices can be updated, but honestly I think most of them come with a OS that will stay there until the end. Am I wrong?
I think Apple plan that you will keep phone for
a minimum of 2 years.
Other companies need you to keep buying their handsets to make money. Apple play the long game and also try and entice you into more Apple gear. Good strategy.
iPhone 5 supply is heavily constrained at the moment so it's no surprise to see it holding its value. A fairer comparison would be the 4S given that an S3 buyer could have had that for a similar price when new.
@Gavin the Note 2 is amazingly good... Samsung have done amazing things with usability that transcend the hardware. And the screen!
"A fairer comparison would be the 4S given that an S3 buyer could have had that for a similar price when new."
It wouldn't because it isn't the flagship model and the S3 technically is. Provided you don't count the Note II as a smartphone, which is up for debate.
Point of clarification. Samsung make the Note II and they classify as a Smartphone. This is a fact. Other views are just views. I make calls with my Note just as with my S3.
Shaun it's a phone, trust me. My gf also says it's definitely a phone, and she's coming from a Galaxy S. I've got a 10" tablet and an S3; the Note is definitely far more like the S3. If I had a 7" tablet it'd be a closer call size-wise but the usage patterns would still be very different.
The same size-ist opinions were rampant when the HD2 came out, many people (including reviewers) saying it's just too big to be a phone. I think few of us now would consider that a particularly large phone.
If it's too large for you then fine, don't have one, but for many of us it's by far the best phone in the world.
"If it's too large for you then fine, don't have one, but for many of us it's by far the best phone in the world."
I am not saying it isn't a good device, but for me, yes it is too big and I wouldn't personally own one- there is no definition of what a phone is and at what size they become something else so yes, it is all opinion. In my opinion, it isn't what I would define as a phone purely on the basis of what I use a phone for.
@shaun Samsung calls it a phone and its used as a phone by everyone I know who has one, for the purposes of this comparison its a phone. Its the most expensive and newest high end phone that Samsung make, so its comparable to the iPhone 5.
CPW list the buy price of the £699 iPhone as £410 and the £509 Note 2 at £250. That's a £279 loss on the iPhone and £259 on the Note. Not a great deal of difference there.
@Gavin if I were you I'd be off to CEX first thing in the morning to cash in my iPhone 5, even if it's just to buy another one...
"there is no definition of what a phone is and at what size they become something else "
I feel daft for stooping to this, but: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone
Mobile phones used to be the size of a briefcase, in fact some were installed in cars. They were still mobile phones.
"In my opinion, it isn't what I would define as a phone purely on the basis of what I use a phone for."
You mean making phone calls? Because if you mean things such as web browsing, emailing, TomTom etc. then there have been a hell of a lot of non-phone mobile phones over the years. And if you mean size, my first mobile phone was far bigger than the Note II and earlier ones were larger still.
Suggesting the Note II isn't a phone comes across as derogatory. At least 10 million people thought the original Note was a phone, and that was bigger than the Note II. I reckon the Note II will sell at least 30 million.
The Note II may well be too big for me; I tried walking with it in my pocket today and it was noticeably more noticeable than my S3. That just means it may be too big for me. For my gf and many others it's the best phone available. And I'm still very tempted to get one.
My computer is a client of my PBX, and thus is a phone.
I was in a car the other day, which had an integrated SIM. I drove down the motorway in a phone!
Honestly, does it matter? It's just a difference in views of primary function versus available function. To some, the Note 2 is clearly a phone; to others, it's not. Just post a comparison of the Note 2 as well :)
Recently a USA consumer magazine stated that the iPhone 5 was the best camera phone, but they also said they excluded a particular competitor model for some reason in the comparison. Not very fair. Also I think BMW and Ford would claim they make cars - they should know as products have to meet lots of compliance standards.
They might *claim* to make cars, but that's just marketing... ;)
"Suggesting the Note II isn't a phone comes across as derogatory. "
How is this derogatory? "In my opinion, it isn't what I would define as a phone purely on the basis of what I use a phone for."
It's just a piece of plastic, as are most phones (or whatever each individual chooses to call them) and they shouldn't elicit so much defensiveness.
@Neil, good point!
Disagreement isn't defensiveness.
Regarding primary function, we've already determined on this site that the phone is one of the lesser-used parts of our smartphones. So none of us have phones; we have pocket computers with phone functionality.
The iPhone is too small for how I use a phone but I wouldn't deny that it's a phone, or even a smartphone. If I did then I think people, including you Shaun, would regard that as a derogatory comment.
Here's a blast from the past: http://www.lostinmobile.com/home/2009/11/17/htc-hd2-can-it-take-on-the-iphone-3gs.html
It gives an idea of how the acceptable size for a phone has changed in three years (I'm holding a HD2 next to my S3 right now and there's a pretty big difference in size).
It also shows how little Gavin has changed: "@ shaun remember this day nov 2009 :) nov 2011 I might look at some new options.". Gotta admire the consistency, and the boundless enthusiasm ;o)
Well this post got more responses than I expected to see here! But to chime in on the phone size issue. I'd buy the Note 2 in a heartbeat. In fact, @elbowz has me brimming over with jealousy. Should be available here in the States at month's end and already looking at what I can sell to get one. As mentioned, the phone part of a phone is very much the LEAST important part of a phone for me. But the Note 2 is the best of everything about the S3 and more. I SO WANT THAT PHONE! :-)
@ Bug Blatter lol here's the full thread
"for me I won’t be replacing the hd2 for years"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! This is 'you' Gavin, and a lot will change in 'years':)
November 17, 2009 | Shaun
Not years... Months! How long did that HTC Hero last?
November 17, 2009 | lazyboy
I have my perfect device. good camera, great large screen for viewing my photos, high quality audio, great phone, great at everything , fast.- capacitive screen for data entry. years I say ! oh and brilliant gps.
@ lazyboy my hero lasted 3 months nearly but it didnt have a strong enough gps chip and its so weak compared to the hd2 eg no camera flash
@ shaun remember this day nov 2009 :) nov 2011 I might look at some new options.
November 17, 2009 | gavinfabl
"@ shaun remember this day nov 2009 :) nov 2011 I might look at some new options."
It is simply not possible, it really isn't:)
November 17, 2009 | Shaun
@Gavin
There's just one problem with your "perfect device" comment; you've still got an iPod Touch tucked away in your back pocket "for games and the odd job"! ;)
November 17, 2009 | lazyboy
@Gavin - didn't you say the Sony Xperia was your perfect device? Or was it one of the other ones... ;-)
November 17, 2009 | Statto
"The iPhone is too small for how I use a phone but I wouldn't deny that it's a phone, or even a smartphone. If I did then I think people, including you Shaun, would regard that as a derogatory comment."
I wouldn't see it as derogatory at all. Not sure how it is possible to be derogatory to an object. If you said I was a fool to use the iPhone or I said you were to choose the Note, the yes that is derogatory.
"It gives an idea of how the acceptable size for a phone has changed in three years."
Very true, the sizes have changed and so have our uses with voice calls being much less used than previously. There is still, however, a point where the size becomes too much for some and the physical size of hands will stop certain devices from being regarded as phones.
When I say the Note II is not a phone, I don't mean to knock its capability or what it is exactly, but it is in my opinion a small tablet just because of its size. Ultimately it doesn't matter because it's all just opinion and does not change what the device is, and it does look incredibly powerful.