Not just in fresh, iPhone is also leading India's refurbished phone market

Apple's iPhone is dominating India's refurbished smartphone market, with the brand accounting for more than 65 percent of refurbished phone sales. Cashify's latest report also shows growing demand for higher-priced devices, led by models such as the iPhone 13.

In Short

• Refurbished smartphone demand in India rose 30.8 per cent during 2025
• Devices priced above Rs 45,000 made up 17.4 per cent demand
• The iPhone 13 topped both buybacks and refurbished purchases on Cashify

Apple’s iPhone is not only a strong seller in India’s new smartphone market. The brand is also dominating the country’s refurbished phone segment, with iPhones accounting for more than 65 per cent of refurbished smartphone sales, according to Cashify’s latest report.

Cashify’s Great Indian Upgrade 2026 report shows that India’s refurbished smartphone market is increasingly moving towards more expensive devices. Refurbished phone demand grew 30.8 per cent in 2025, while devices priced above Rs 45,000 accounted for 17.4 per cent of demand.

The iPhone 13 emerged as the biggest name in this market. It was the most bought-back and most purchased refurbished smartphone on Cashify’s platform. The model represented 6.93 per cent of buybacks and as much as 15.5 per cent of refurbished sales.

This suggests that relatively recent iPhone models are making their way into the secondary market while they still have considerable resale value. Cashify also said the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 are beginning to follow a similar path.

Refurbished buyers are moving beyond cheaper phones

The report points to a clear change in what consumers are looking for when buying refurbished smartphones. The Rs 20,000-Rs 45,000 price range accounted for the largest share of refurbished sales in 2025, while demand for phones priced above Rs 45,000 continued to increase.

At the same time, the share of phones priced below Rs 10,000 declined. Such devices made up around 8.4 per cent of direct-to-consumer refurbished sales in 2025, compared with around 10.7 per cent in 2024.

Cashify said buyers in the Rs 30,000-Rs 45,000 range are increasingly looking for better value rather than simply choosing the cheapest available phone. This is also helping refurbished devices become a way for consumers to access higher-end smartphones at lower prices.

The supply of newer devices is increasing as well. Mobile buybacks rose 29 per cent year-on-year, while the average buyback value jumped 34 per cent to Rs 8,573 in 2025. The share of 5G smartphones sold to Cashify also rose to more than 54 per cent, up from 5 per cent in 2022.

“2025 reinforced that the biggest opportunity in smartphone recommerce is not just consumer willingness to sell, but the confidence to participate,” said Nakul Kumar, Co-Founder and CMO of Cashify.

The report also shows a larger opportunity beyond smartphones. Refurbished laptops, tablets, smartwatches and other devices accounted for 16.7 per cent of refurbished sales in 2025, up from 8 per cent in 2024.

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