Originally Posted by
Braindrain
For actual experience, I've bought old (at least 1 yr old) Android phones, rooted them, put on custom ROMS, used them for another 6 - 12 months, and then sold them for either a profit or break-even. At worst, if you don't know or don't care about rooting, you can sell them for a slight depreciation.
Ok I can't say that Androids become worthless(I've only sold one, and it was the first HTC G1), but I can vouch for how well iPhones hold their value over time. I bought my iPhone 3G for $300 and three years later (when it was 4 years old) I sold it for $190. It's an easy sell too. Even better, the iPhone 3G is still a very capable phone!
I'm surprised to see Androids hold their value, but that's good news for folks selling them. ^