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iPhone 13 holding its value better than previous iPhones due to supply shortages

New research shows that the level of depreciation affecting the iPhone 13 is half that of the iPhone 12. The research says that although Apple phones usually hold more value than any other brand, this is “exceptionally low depreciation.”

According to SellCell, after months one and two, the iPhone 13 has lost up to 50% less value than the iPhone 12. Not only that, the iPhone 13 saw the lowest amount of depreciation two months post-launch than other iPhone generations, depreciating by only 25.5%.

One of the reasons, the research says, is the chip shortage. Since it was hard for customers to get the newer iPhones, their prices stayed higher, as there are still people trying to get one of them:

These delays are, of course, inconvenient. However, the knock-on effect of such setbacks is inevitably an increase in demand for the product in question. This means that the iPhone 13 has seen the best value retention over the first two months since launch, compared to previous models; not just great news for Apple, but great news for those who secured a handset at launch.

SellCell research shows that iPhone 13 depreciation is 19.1% less than the iPhone 11 series depreciation in months one and two. Additionally, iPhone 13 series hasn’t just retained a lot of its value as some models have seen value recovery after an initial drop post-launch.

The premium models have held or regained value, with the iPhone 13 Pro Max 1 TB regaining 1.4%, the 512 GB variant recovering 1.7% of its launch price, and the 128 GB version seeing an impressive 1.8% regain. The 256 GB model remained unchanged, losing 18.3% of its value in month one and holding value in month 2.

On the other hand, the iPhone 13 mini lost average value across the three handsets. Only the 512 GB model regained, claiming back 4% of its value. The 256 GB and 128 GB models lost 7.5% and 5% respectively.

This report also helps understand what analysts are saying that Apple won’t make another mini model, as they didn’t sell well at all.

About the future iPhone 14, SellCell doesn’t think these models will retain as much value as the current generation:

Could this slow depreciation trend continue for future iPhone releases? Well, possibly not. Unless the component crisis continues into 2022/2023, it is more than likely that Apple will have enough handsets to ensure supply meets demand, once the iPhone 14 comes around. With this in mind, it is unlikely we’ll see this slow rate of depreciation again. We can’t say that for sure, but the chip shortage and global health crisis are unique circumstances that (we all hope) we will never see again.

You can read the full report here. Were you able to get the iPhone 13 yet? Are you planning to do so? Tell us in the comment section below.

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