Why Apple iPhones still dominate India’s resale market

In India, a “second-hand” smartphone was traditionally passed down within families or kept as a spare device rather than being actively traded. That trend, however, is shifting quickly as consumers upgrade their devices more often and increasingly view resale as a practical way to recover value from older gadgets. 

India’s smartphone resale ecosystem has also matured in recent years, with buyers and sellers becoming more deliberate about how they transact. A Flipkart spokesperson told Business Today that pre-owned devices now make up roughly 20% of India’s overall smartphone market, with the segment expanding faster than sales of brand-new phones. 

“Traditionally, India has been a hand-me-down market, which has kept the resale segment relatively muted. This is now evolving with OEM-led trade-in programmes, multi-brand exchange ecosystems, and certified refurbishment processes that are improving both supply and quality benchmarks,” Flipkart said. 

iPhone still leads the pack 

Data from the past year shows that Apple’s iPhones continue to dominate India’s refurbished smartphone space. According to Cashify’s 2025 whitepaper, iPhones held a 64.5% share of the refurbished market in the first half of 2025, driven by strong brand trust, extended software support and relatively standardised repair processes. 

Nakul Kumar, Co-founder of Cashify, told Business Today that iPhones consistently deliver the strongest resale returns in India’s repurchase market. 

“In India’s buyback market, resale value is driven more by demand than specifications. Devices like iPhones retain the highest value because of strong brand trust, longer software support and sustained demand in the secondary market,” he said. 

This demand is especially visible in the ₹15,000-₹30,000 price band, where buyers are increasingly gravitating toward “affordable premium” options. Instead of purchasing a brand-new mid-range Android device, many consumers are opting for refurbished models such as the iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. 

Android resale ecosystem still evolving 

While Apple leads the resale market, the Android segment remains more fragmented. Within Android, Samsung commands the highest resale value, particularly in the premium and upper mid-range categories. 

OnePlus accounted for 10.2% of refurbished smartphone sales in the first half of 2025, while Xiaomi held a 9.9% share in 2024 and 9.7% in the first half of 2025, largely driven by its presence in the budget and mid-range segments, according to Cashify data. However, Xiaomi devices tend to depreciate more quickly due to rapid model launches and a large supply in the secondary market. 

“The Android resale ecosystem is still evolving due to the wider proliferation of models and variability in after-sales support, although we expect this to strengthen over time with increasing ecosystem participation,” the Flipkart spokesperson said. 

With new smartphones becoming increasingly expensive, refurbished devices are emerging as an attractive way for consumers to access premium models at lower prices. Kumar added that the launch of new flagship devices — such as the iPhone 17 — often acts as a “reset button” for the resale market, pushing down prices of older generations and creating fresh entry points for buyers.