This article is more than 1 year old

Not the droids you're looking for – worst handsets to resell

Six months later and you've lost 70 per cent of the RRP

iPhones maintain their resale value much better than Androids. That much you probably already know – but which are the worst droids to resell?

A survey of over 100,000 eBay transactions provides some answers. The data isn't just a handy guide to flogging your unwanted upgrade, but also an indication of the "real" market value of the headline price of a new phone.

The survey for reselling site musicMagpie finds that LG scores badly while HTC scores worst: the HTC 10 losing 65 per cent of its value a month after release, and 70 per cent six months later. The HTC 10 (review) arrived at market with an RRP of over £550. Apple's iPhone 7 lost 34 per cent after a month on the market, while Samsung some 50 per cent.

Apple's "budget" iPhone SE, an updated iPhone 5S produced in response to a demand for smaller phones, performed surprisingly well.

For many consumers, the true cost of a new phone is obscured behind operator subsidies. From looking at the SIM-only prices and RRPs, we can see that the cost of a new flagship has increased over the past year. Users now hold on to their phones longer so manufacturers are raising the sticker price.

Over a third of UK contract customers will be on SIM-only deals by the end of 2017, CCS Insight estimates.

musicMagpie popped out the data recently here.

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