Global refurbished smartphone market watchers say that Samsung’s refurbished phone shipments last year grew faster than Apple’s, but precise market share gains were unspecified. Apple kept the crown, but Samsung’s refurbished phones have had a higher adoption rate among customers globally.
The market spiked in popularity and beat expectations in 2021, with market analysts posting a 15% growth Year-on-Year.
Apple maintained the lead as the largest used mobile device vendor, and Samsung followed in 2nd place but narrowed the gap with its rival.
Samsung has some of the best trade-in offers, and pre-order bonuses are often very generous.
The Galaxy smartphone maker could continue gaining even more ground on Apple in 2022. The refurbished, or as Samsung calls it, Re-Newed Samsung Galaxy S 21 became available for pre-order in mid-April in the USA.
The Korean tech giant, as well as Google, also announced a partnership with iFixit, which will soon allow customers in the United States to DIY-repair their smartphones using official parts and iFixit guides and tools. All perks considered, Samsung has every reason to catch up to Apple in the refurbished smartphone segment.
In the United States and the EU markets, renovated phone sales bounced back in 2021. Flagship sales increased in the USA for both Apple and Samsung, which created a knock-on effect that led to a higher stock of used devices collected from carriers and retailers that offer trade-in programs. The refurbished market in the USA was also supported by CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) insurance replacement devices.