In what may be the strangest twist in the ongoing smartphone wars, London phone thieves have developed a strong brand loyalty to iPhone. Some phone thieves return Androids, literally giving the handsets like Samsung phones back to their victims, according to a new investigation. Now why would they do that? Well, it’s mainly about economics. And good taste, of course.
Phone thieves return Androids to victims in London (in favor of iPhone)
iPhone theft is not exactly new in the United Kingdom’s capital. The Metropolitan Police reported over 117,000 mobile phone thefts in London in 2024, though they don’t track data by brand. But historical Home Office research from the mid-2010s consistently showed iPhones at the top of theft indices. And I wrote not long ago about Londoners snapping up intimidating iPhone cases — think “covered in spikes” — to deter would-be snatchers. But this new trend of Samsung rejection surprised me, coming to light through multiple victim accounts, according to a report in London Centric.
Take one particularly brazen incident involving a man named Sam, for example. In January, eight men surrounded him, roughing him up and demanding he hand over everything he had. They took his phone, camera and even the beanie hat from his head. But as the gang fled, one thief turned around and walked back to Sam with his Android device in hand.
“Don’t want no Samsung,” the thief said bluntly, returning the phone before rejoining his accomplices.
Samsung Galaxy owners’ injured pride
Sam wasn’t alone in this bizarre experience. Mark had his Samsung Galaxy snatched by an e-bike rider who sped past. Mark gave chase on foot but quickly realized he couldn’t catch up. Then something unexpected happened. The thief stopped, examined the stolen phone, and simply threw it on the ground before cycling away. Since the device wasn’t thrown with force, Mark recovered his phone undamaged.
“If anything I feel a bit rejected,” he said. “My poor phone.”
Even more comical? In Simon’s encounter, a would-be mugger used social engineering rather than violence. A friendly young man bounded across the street as if greeting an old friend, striking up a conversation before asking if Simon had Spotify. Thinking the stranger wanted to share his music, Simon pulled out his Samsung Galaxy to help. The moment the man saw it wasn’t an iPhone, he lost all interest and walked away, muttering to his accomplice that the “phone’s dead, innit.”
Why the iPhone obsession?
The answer to the question of why return Samsungs comes down to straightforward economics. While premium Android phones like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra now cost as much as or more than flagship iPhones — and Samsung’s foldables can reach $2,000 or more — Apple devices maintain significantly higher resale values in secondhand markets.
Thieves are simply following the money, said Jake Moore, a cybersecurity advisor for ESET. Apple devices command better prices on the black market, making them far more lucrative targets than Android phones with lower resale values, regardless of their original retail price. Importantly, both platforms have similarly robust security features, so iPhones aren’t being targeted because they’re easier to unlock. It’s purely about profit margins.
So while Android users might feel slighted by criminals’ brand preferences, there’s a silver lining. In London’s current crime wave, carrying a Samsung might just mean you get to keep your phone.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
