The age of smartphones that were traded in reached a record high during the 2025 upgrade cycle, according to a new report from Circana and B-Stock. Most of the devices traded in were at least three generations old, yet even older phones are in high demand on a global basis.
As of October 2025, nearly 11% of U.S. consumers own a pre-owned smartphone, with almost one-third (30%) of those being certified pre-owned (CPO) models. Customers are also finding themselves pleased with the CPO programs.
The report found that nearly half of pre-owned buyers said the CPO smartphone they purchased was “much better” than expected, while three quarters of consumers who bought their current phones in new condition report they’d consider a CPO device as an option.
The result is that the pre-owned market now outpaces the new market with supply steadily increasing as trade-ins have become an integral part of carriers’ retention programs.
Even so, longer ownership cycles means that the pre-owned smartphones are reaching back several generations. The report showed that devices five generations old or older accounted for nearly one-fifth (19%) of all pre-owned smartphone supply in 2025, up 75% from 2022.
“The pre-owned smartphone market in the U.S. remains incredibly resilient, driven by strong consumer demand for affordable, high-quality devices, as well as the growing pool of second-hand devices entering the market,” Brad Akyuz, Circana industry analyst consultant, mobile, said in a prepared statement about the pre-owned smartphone report.
“At the same time, the quality of work being done by the wireless community with respect to refurbishment, including increased use of genuine parts, and introducing greater transparency and standardization across the secondary market, has altered buyer expectations and improved perceptions of device condition.”
A separate recent report says that consumers want AI capabilities in their smartphones. Those capabilities aren’t available with older-generation devices. That report found that consumers are trading in mobile devices at a record pace in exchange for ones that offer AI capabilities.
