LATAM’s refurbished smartphone market is expected to evolve in 2026 due to the following key reasons:

• Retailers are increasing distribution and improving accessibility of refurbished devices across online and offline channels, resulting in increased availability and consumer confidence.
• The global memory shortage is making new devices more expensive, accelerating trade-in activity and pushing consumers to look for savings on their purchases. This mirrors trends seen in more developed smartphone markets.
• The price discrepancy between a new smartphone and its restored counterpart typically falls between $50 and $200, roughly 30% to 50% off the price of a new device, a gap significant enough to shape consumer purchasing decisions.

LATAM recorded an ASP increase in refurbished devices during the second half of 2025, driven by a weak upgrade response following the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S25 series and the Apple iPhone 17, directing to a modest 1% YoY growth in the premium segment (above $600). On the other hand, the region’s emerging pre-owned market continued to move slowly towards organized sales channels, resulting in a 44% volume growth from 2021 to 2025.

The global pre-owned smartphone market reached $83 billion in revenue last year, which is 19% of the total smartphone sales value, for the third year in a row. In LATAM, consumers are increasingly recognizing the value of refurbished devices, driving the segment to an 11% volume share and a market value exceeding $4 billion.

Counterpoint Research’s Global Pre-Owned Smartphone Market Report, H2 2025, highlights that Latin America’s refurbished market is still developing. Carriers are not a primary channel for trade-in promotions in the LATAM countries. They mostly rely on new device sales, leaving the secondary market ecosystem highly fragmented. On the other hand, consumers face significant trust issues with the pre-owned segment due to reliability and warranty constraints, which have been improving through the grading of refurbished devices, extension of warranty periods and the granting of certifications by assorted players in the market.

Online platforms such as Mercado Libre, an Argentine company operating in 18 countries; Reuse, a Chilean firm that has expanded across Latin America; Clevercel, which operates in three of the region’s top five markets; Trocafone, trading in Argentina and Brazil; and Amazon are driving sales volumes of refurbished smartphones in Latin America. Besides, local offline and online retailers like Casas Bahia, Alkosto, Coppel and Walmart are expanding their portfolios in physical stores.

LATAM’s strong price sensitivity has supported the steady growth of its refurbished market. Apple, which has a 58% share in the global refurbished market, also leads the LATAM secondary segment as consumers look for high end devices at reduced prices. Samsung and Motorola, the top two smartphone brands in the primary market, generally carry weaker buyer preference in the pre owned segment, limiting growth. Meanwhile, Chinese OEMs such as Xiaomi, realme, vivo and HONOR need to build stronger brand value in the refurbished space.

The refurbished market is also relevant for companies across the software ecosystem. The secondary market contributes to increased migration between Android and iOS platforms, resulting in churn for the respective operating systems, with iOS being the main beneficiary.

Several dynamics will underpin the continued evolution of LATAM’s refurbished market, including sustained e commerce growth, higher smartphone acquisition expenditure, and Apple’s strengthening share. Lastly, the advancement of an e waste management system built on repair, reuse and material recovery will become a critical enabler of market maturity, reducing environmental impact while reinforcing circular economy dynamics.

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