Androids lose resale value faster than iPhones, study shows

An interesting new startup called Priceonomics tackles a question that we all face eventually - how much can I sell my old phone for? According to their research, iPhones have the best resale value, while Android is almost tied with BlackBerrys in this respect.

If you try to sell your 18-month old phone, you'd get 53% of its original price on average if you have an iPhone, 42% if it's a droid and 41% for a BlackBerry. Check out this graph that shows how quickly smartphones deprecate in value.

To make things more specific, if you buy an iPhone, you can sell it for $13.20 less for each month you keep it. BlackBerrys and Androids on the other hand lose more - 40% more in the case of Android.

Not all droids are born equal though - there are some phones that keep a lot of their value over time. The HTC Wildfire, the Samsung Exhibit 4G and the Motorola Triumph can be sold for 86% of their original price.

Priceonomics have some tips about minimizing your total expense when buying a phone and selling it after a while. First off, buying an iPhone with more built-in memory will set you back $100 more, but when selling it will earn you just $10. Also, breaking a contract and paying an early termination fee is still cheaper than getting an unsubsidized phone.

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