For the first time in Q2 2026, the average age of traded-in mobile devices in the US surpassed four years, signalling changing upgrade habits driven by higher costs and increased demand for refurbished phones, including premium wearables.
US consumers are keeping iPhones for longer, with Assurant saying the average age of handsets handed in through trade-in and upgrade programmes rose above four years for the first time in the second quarter of 2026. The company’s latest mobile trade-in report suggests that rising device costs and stronger demand for refurbished phones are changing upgrade habits, while trade-in value is increasingly extending beyond smartphones into premium wearables.
Assurant said mobile trade-in programmes returned $1.43bn to US consumers in the quarter, up 7% from a year earlier, although that was below the $1.63bn recorded in the first quarter of 2026. The iPhone 13 remained the most commonly traded-in handset, while the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra was the leading Android model. Premium smartwatches also retained meaningful value, with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 averaging $341 at trade-in.
The broader trend has been building for some time. Assurant said in its 2025 annual report that US consumers received more than $6.4bn through mobile trade-in programmes last year, a 42% increase from 2024, as buyers became more deliberate about timing upgrades around major launches and stronger offers. In the first quarter of 2026, the average age of traded-in devices stood at 3.81 years, close to the 2025 full-year figure, showing that consumers are still stretching replacement cycles even as they continue to participate in trade-in schemes when the value is attractive.
Industry analysts say the secondary market is helping to sustain that behaviour. Emily Herbert, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, said demand for high-quality refurbished smartphones is supporting trade-in values and helping make newer devices more affordable. Assurant’s Biju Nair said trade-in timing matters because component costs continue to pressure new-device prices, adding that better sorting of returned devices can strengthen the secondary market and widen access to lower-cost technology.
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