In summary
- Anecdotal evidence that London thieves prefer iPhones
- Stories of Samsung Galaxy phones being handed back
- iPhones continue to retain their value
We’re not sure if Samsung Galaxy users should be relieved or insulted by the news, but London’s prolific phone thieves are showing a clear preference for iPhones over other smartphone brands.
According to a report in London Centric (via Sammobile), anecdotal evidence points to a clear hierarchy in the kind of phones targeted by criminals in the UK capital.
One 32-year-old Londoner was recently cornered by a gang of thieves in the south of the city. After handing over all of his valuables to the crew (including a camera and a beanie), one of the thieves returned and handed back his phone. “Don’t want no Samsung,” was the explanation given.
That’s right – the poor chap’s hat was deemed as more worthy of pinching than his phone. Ouch.
Luke Baker
Rejected by an e-bike snatcher
This is far from an isolated incident, with the website claiming that multiple Android users had come forward with similar stories of phone brand rejection.
One other humbled Android user had their Samsung Galaxy phone snatched by a young man on an e-bike, only to observe the youth stop, look at the phone, and “throw it on the floor”. The phone was safely retrieved, but with a curious accompanying sense of rejection.
The stolen phone market is clearly a lucrative one, but it seems Apple’s premium phones continue to hold far greater value than Samsung’s. This is despite the retail pricing – at least for the flagship Samsung Galaxy S25 range – being similar to their iPhone 17 equivalents.
All of which leads us to a rather unexpected conclusion: if you want to stop your phone being pinched, consider buying a Samsung Galaxy.
It also makes us ponder that Steve Jobs’s famous ‘reality distortion field’, in which the Apple founder could seemingly convince anyone of Apple’s inherent superiority, is still very much in effect – even with London’s petty criminals.
