Every beginning of the year, the smartphone market looks forward to the launch of a new generation of even more modern, powerful and versatile devices. However, the arrival of a new generation ends up devaluing the existing models. In this article, Oficina da Net analyzed the price history of two of the largest lines of Android cell phones in Brazil.
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How much does a top of the line Samsung devalue in 1 year?
To find out how much a smartphone depreciates, we can start a price analysis from the day a device is launched until the launch of its successor, and then observe how the market is when there are two generations of the same model on display. In the case of Samsung, let’s look at the mighty Galaxy S23 Ultra and S22 Ultra.
See the Galaxy S22 Ultra price history:
The Galaxy S23 Ultra hit the market on February 1, 2023 for BRL 9,499, maintaining the same price as its predecessor, S22 Ultra, when it was launched. However, about 50 days after launch, the S23 Ultra has already suffered a 26% depreciation of its original price, falling to R$ 6,999. The S22 Ultra dropped from R$9,500 to R$5,000 in just over a year, which represents a depreciation of almost half of its value (47%).
This means that when you invest in Samsung’s most expensive model, a few months later you can have a big loss if you decide to buy it right away.
How much does a top of the line Motorola devalue in 1 year?
Motorola has not yet launched the new generation of its Edge line smartphones, so let’s compare the data from the last two releases: Edge 30 Pro (2022) and Edge 20 Pro (2021).
The Edge 30 Pro arrived in February last year with a suggested retail price of R$6,499. Today, this is just over a year after its launch, it is possible to find the device for approximately R$ 4 thousand, but we have already found offers for less than R$ 3 thousand. This means that in 1 year, its price has dropped by 54%.
The Edge 20 Pro, launched in July 2021, follows the same logic. It arrived costing BRL 4,999, but it was already possible to purchase it for exactly BRL 2,500, which is exactly half the original price. Thus, Motorola also suffers from the depreciation of its main models, especially due to strong competition from other companies and the frenetic pace for new releases.
See the Motorola Edge 20 Pro price history:
How much does a top-of-the-line Android devalue in 1 year?
As we’ve seen, it’s common for a top-of-the-line Android to depreciate around 30% to 40% in a year. For example, if a top-of-the-line smartphone was launched for BRL 4,000, it is possible that it is being sold for around BRL 2,400 to BRL 2,800 after one year of use. Thus, it is difficult to recommend buying a high-end smartphone as soon as it is released. Overall, it’s best to wait and buy this year’s model when next year’s comes out.
And an iPhone?
The iPhone, like any other product, also tends to devalue with the arrival of a new generation of smartphones. However, as it does not have direct competition, since its operating system is a closed platform, this depreciation is smaller, and that is why Apple manages to keep an iPhone up to date much longer than an Android smartphone company.
To give you an idea, the iPhone 14 Pro Max, launched in September 2022, cost R$10,500, but today its price has dropped by around 25% and it is already possible to find it at retail for R$2,580 less than its original price. original price. The 2021 iPhone 13 Pro Max dropped from R$10,500 to R$8,400. That is, in two years it has depreciated only 20%.
