San Mateo, CA and Chicago, IL, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — New knowledge from each Circana and B-Inventory reveals the age of smartphones traded-in reached an all-time excessive through the 2025 improve cycle, with most units being three generations again or older. The information additionally reveals that regardless of growing older trade-in stock, pre-owned smartphones are in excessive demand globally, and gaining belief amongst customers as extra OEMs and cellular carriers spend money on Licensed Pre-Owned (CPO) applications.
Circana knowledge reveals that as of October 2025, roughly 11% of U.S. customers personal a pre-owned smartphone, with roughly 30% of these being licensed fashions. Particular to CPO applications, client belief seems to have vastly improved: almost half of pre-owned patrons report cellphone situation was “significantly better” than anticipated. And, as considerations about situation, {hardware} efficiency, and battery life have eased, 75% of customers who purchased their present telephones in new situation report they’d contemplate a CPO machine as an possibility, demonstrating rising belief in refurbished units.
“The pre-owned smartphone market within the U.S. stays extremely resilient, pushed by robust client demand for reasonably priced, high-quality units, in addition to the rising pool of second-hand units coming into the market,” mentioned Brad Akyuz, Trade Analyst Advisor, Cell at Circana. “On the identical time, the standard of labor being performed by the wi-fi neighborhood with respect to refurbishment, together with elevated use of real components, and introducing higher transparency and standardization throughout the secondary market, has altered purchaser expectations and improved perceptions of machine situation.”
This mounting belief and demand has resulted within the pre-owned market outpacing the brand new market with provide steadily growing as trade-ins have develop into an integral a part of carriers’ retention applications. Nevertheless, prolonged possession cycles are actually reshaping pre-owned provide. B-Inventory knowledge reveals that units 5 generations previous or older (N-5+) accounted for 19% of all pre-owned smartphone provide in 2025, that’s up 75% from 2022. On the identical time, this identical knowledge reveals D and E grade units reached record-high ranges, signaling a noticeable skew towards lower-quality stock as machine lifecycles proceed to stretch.
The impact of this growing older provide pool is a tightening home marketplace for pre-owned provide, specifically CPO units. “Growing old, lower-grade fashions sometimes aren’t eligible for U.S.-based CPO applications as they normally require newer technology units in A/B grade situation,” mentioned Sean Cleland, VP of Cell at B-Inventory. “As carriers stretch cost phrases out to 36 months, customers are holding onto units longer and fewer trade-ins meet these thresholds. Whereas the quantity of trade-ins could also be wholesome, the composition is shifting away from what CPO applications want.”
Concurrently, there’s heightened worldwide competitors pulling quantity offshore. B-Inventory worldwide cargo knowledge reveals {that a} roughly 15% devaluation of the U.S. greenback made American units considerably extra engaging to abroad patrons in 2025. Because of this, worldwide shipments of U.S.-sourced pre-owned smartphones almost tripled yr over yr. Dubai and Hong Kong accounted for roughly 80% of world quantity, whereas the Netherlands and Spain emerged as fast-growing export locations. Demand was notably robust throughout Southern Europe, the place older fashions such because the iPhone 6, 7, and eight stay in energetic use.
“Worldwide refurbishers, particularly in areas the place labor and components are cheaper, are competing aggressively for the older provide,” mentioned Cleland. “These dynamics are beginning to squeeze home refurbishers that don’t have the identical price construction or entry to stock.”
About Circana
Circana is a frontrunner in offering know-how, AI, and knowledge to fast-moving client packaged items corporations, durables producers, and retailers in search of to optimize their companies. Circana’s predictive analytics and know-how empower purchasers to measure their market share, perceive the underlying client habits driving it, and speed up their development. Circana’s Liquid Knowledge® know-how platform is powered by an expansive, high-quality knowledge set, and clever algorithms educated on six a long time of area experience. With Circana, purchasers can take rapid motion to future-proof and evolve their development methods amid an more and more complicated, fast-paced, and ever-changing economic system.
About B-Inventory
B-Inventory is the world’s largest B2B recommerce platform and system of document for all resale. We join sellers and patrons of returned, trade-in, and overstock stock by means of a collection of on-line resale channels. Our clients vary from the world’s largest manufacturers and retailers that need best-in-class stock resale administration to entrepreneurs trying to supply beneficial merchandise for his or her resale companies.
With tons of of hundreds of transactions accomplished yearly, we consider know-how and entry drive a wholesome B2B resale ecosystem. B-Inventory offers patrons a easy and direct manner to purchase beneficial merchandise immediately from retailers and gives sellers a technology-driven substitute for conventional resale strategies, whereas boosting operational effectivity, restoration charges, and cycle time.