Assurant’s latest quarterly snapshot of the secondary smartphone market shows a record haul for consumers and a steady rise in device age, suggesting upgrade timing is being shaped by a mix of richer mobile provider promotions and emerging interest in on-device AI.
In its Q2 2025 “Mobile Trade-In and Upgrade Industry Trends” report, the insurance and extended warranty provider said trade-in and upgrade programs returned $1.34 billion to consumers, up 8% from Q1 and 60% on the year.
Assurant attributed part of the jump to more aggressive trade-in offers in the first half of 2025 than during the same period in 2024, which made upgrades more attractive for owners of aging devices. The report also found the average age of turned-in phones reached 3.88 years, compared with 3.7 years in Q2 2024, reinforcing a pattern of longer ownership even as carriers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and retailers lean on trade-ins to stimulate demand.
The results follow a strong first quarter, when trade-in and upgrade programs returned $1.24 billion to consumers, a 40% increase from Q1 2024, according to Assurant. The report also found the average age of iPhones at turn-in was 3.79 years and Android devices 3.93 years, the highest on record at the time.
“Historically, the second quarter has been a quieter period for trade-ins and upgrades, although this year we are seeing strong market resilience,” Biju Nair, president of Global Connected Living and International at Assurant, said in a statement. “Consumers are trading in older devices for new smartphones with functional AI capabilities. Initially, many took a ‘wait and see’ approach to AI, but as it evolves from a feature to a more personalized capability tailored to the everyday needs of consumers, we anticipate device age to decline as more consumers see the value of upgrading to these new generation of devices.”
Device trends point to a maturing 5G cycle flowing into the resale channel. For the fourth consecutive quarter, Apple’s iPhone 13 was the most frequently turned-in device, while Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G led among Android models. Assurant said the leadership of those two models underscores the expanding presence of 5G handsets in secondary markets where refurbished devices are resold or redeployed.
The Q2 results also echo findings from Assurant’s annual report released in March, which showed average device age rising in 2024 but dipping around major launches of AI-enabled phones. That analysis suggested early adopters were already upgrading sooner when new on-device capabilities arrived, with nearly one third of US consumers expecting to own an AI-compatible phone by mid-2025, almost half saying their next phone should support AI and 20% calling AI a very important purchase factor.
Assurant’s Q2 report stresses the role of trade-in and upgrade programs in extending device life and feeding supply to the refurbished market, which keeps phones in use and limits electronic waste. Higher payouts, longer ownership and interest in AI features together suggest upgrade behavior is becoming more intentional, with consumers calibrating when to switch based on a balance of incentives, residual value and perceived utility from the latest devices.
