Whenever I buy an expensive smartphone, my two main concerns right after unboxing are usually damaging it or having it stolen. Smartphones aren't cheap these days, whether you're buying an iPhone or an Android. The iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,200, the Galaxy S25 Ultra $1,300, and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 $2,000. However, it seems that smartphone thieves in London aren't aware of how expensive Samsung phones have become.
In a recent blog post by London Centric, it tells the story of a 32-year-old Londoner named Sam, who was robbed by a gang of eight men earlier this year. The thieves took his beanie, camera, and smartphone and ran away. However, when the thief who took his phone realized it was a Samsung, they ran back to Sam and handed him the phone back, candidly saying, "Don't want no Samsung."
So while the thieves kept his beanie and camera, just because Sam had an Android, and not an iPhone, he was able to keep his phone. A miraculous tale, but also not an isolated one either.
The iPhone's greater popularity results in a higher resale value
While flagship Android phones and iPhones are similar in price, they're not on the secondary market
London Centric also details the story of Mark, who had his Samsung Galaxy phone stolen in London by someone who whizzed by on an e-bike and snatched it out of his hands. However, like Sam's story, when the thief realized it was an Android, he threw the phone away.
"I saw him stop, look at my phone, then throw it on the floor. He cycled off and I retrieved my phone," Mark explained."If anything I feel a bit rejected. My poor phone."
Why thieves are avoiding Samsung phones and Android devices in general is mainly due to resale value. Although the idea that Samsung phones are cheaper than iPhones is outdated, iPhones still generally sell for higher prices on the second-hand market.
"Apple devices have a higher second-hand market value and it makes more economic sense to pursue these more sought-after phones rather than cheaper models with a lower secondhand price," explained Jake Moore, an advisor for the cybersecurity firm ESET, who spoke to London Centric.
How to protect your smartphone
Both iPhone and Android devices have methods to deter thieves
Whether you have an iPhone or an Android, there are steps you can take to help keep your data safe in the event your phone gets stolen. On Android phones, you can enable Theft Detection Lock, which automatically detects when your phone is snatched from your hands and locks it, using your phone's accelerometer and gyroscope to detect motion. Additionally, you can enable Remote Lock to lock the device from anywhere, and you can use Find My Device to remotely track your device and mark it as lost, which will lock it.
For iPhone users, you can also track your device and lock it using Find My, and you can also preemptively enable Stolen Device Protection, which will add a security delay to changing important information on your Apple Account and require Face ID or Touch ID biometric authentication to access sensitive information on the device, such as passwords and credit cards.