London thieves gave stolen phones back when they weren’t iPhones

Nobody wants their smartphone stolen, but per a new report from local journalism source London Centric, it seems non-iPhones are increasingly becoming unwanted by thieves.

London Centric reports on several Android users whose devices were rejected by thieves

London Centric:

While it might feel like London’s phone thieves will indiscriminately take any device they can get their hands on, there are a growing number of indicators that many of them are only interested in Apple iPhones.

Multiple capital-dwelling Android users who shared their stories with London Centric said they had been on an emotional journey after they were mugged — only to have their device handed back.

The report shares stories from some of these Android users in London, several of which owned Samsung Galaxy devices.

For example, there’s Sam’s story of being robbed by a group of eight men in January:

The thieves took Sam’s phone, his camera and even the beanie hat off his head. After checking Sam had nothing else on him, they started to run off.

What happened next was a surprise. With most of the gang already heading down the Old Kent Road, one turned around and handed Sam back his Android phone.

The thief bluntly told him why: “Don’t want no Samsung.”

Similarly, Galaxy owner Mark had his device stolen by a thief riding an e-bike.

Mark says, “I saw him stop, look at my phone, then throw it on the floor. He cycled off and I retrieved my phone.”

Another funny story highlights Simon, who had an unusually friendly stranger (and would-be thief) drop all interest in him after Simon pulled out his phone.

This led Simon to realize that his chance encounter was part of a potential mugging. “[Simon] overhead the would-be thief explaining to his apparent accomplice why they were giving up: “Phone’s dead, innit.””

As noted by John Gruber at Daring Fireball, iPhone-Android ownership in the UK is about 50-50. But clearly, at least because of high resale value, the iPhone remains a lot more desirable.

Have you ever had or heard a story like this one, where an Android phone is rejected by thieves? Let us know in the comments.

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