Should You Sell Your iPhone Before the iPhone 17 Arrives?

The iPhone 17 launch is right around the corner. According to rumors, the pre-order and in-store availability dates for the iPhone 17 may be less than a month away. If you’ve been patiently waiting to upgrade to this latest model, chances are you’re also considering a sale or trade-in of your current iPhone. While it may be inconvenient if you don’t have a backup iPhone handy, here’s why you could be running out of time to maximize your sale or trade-in value. If top dollar is your primary concern, you have less than a month to make a move.

iPhone resale and trade-in value drops ahead of a new model’s release. It’s true for the previous model, too. Expect to see iPhone 16 values follow similar patterns. Older model iPhones flood the market as people upgrade. This increased supply of older iPhones pushes prices down. Trade-in values are also typically lowered across the board, from Apple to carriers and third-party marketplaces like Gazelle and Swappa.

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Other third-party electronics marketplaces, like SellCell, have studied the impact of a new iPhone release on existing model resale and trade-in values. For the previous model, the iPhone 16 in this case, consumers should expect a 5–10% decrease about a month ahead of launch, plus an additional 10–20% drop during the launch week.

SellCell data suggests selling or trading your current iPhone about two weeks ahead of a new model launch at worst. Otherwise, waiting could cost you over $100. For reference, an iPhone 16 128GB in good condition has already depreciated by 42.7% since its 2024 launch. If you decide to hang on to your current iPhone, you should expect an additional 20–30% depreciation within six months of the iPhone 17’s release.

To minimize your iPhone’s depreciation, here are some additional factors to consider beyond the timing of your sale or trade:

• Obviously, the phone’s condition matters. Keeping it clean and protected with a case will likely pay off in dollars down the road.
• Hang on to your iPhone’s original packaging and accessories, too, as doing so can help retain value.
• When purchasing a new iPhone, consider both your personal needs and the resale value when choosing storage capacity. Phones with more storage tend to depreciate proportionally less.
• Battery health is also important. Battery capacity above 80% should help resale.
• Finally, private sales (Facebook Marketplace) or third-party sites typically yield the best offers. It’s not as easy and seamless as Apple’s trade-in process, but it could be time well spent.

Whether you’re planning to buy the iPhone 17 now or stick with your current phone, keep this information in mind. iPhones are significant investments. With tariffs costing Apple $800 million last quarter, iPhone prices are likely to rise, potentially starting with the iPhone 17. If you definitely want or need a new iPhone, you don’t have much time to waste if you want to squeeze the most out of a sale or trade.