Apple Adjusts iPhone Trade-in Values | Here’s What Your Old Phone Is Worth
Credit: vladim_ka / Adobe StockToggle Dark Mode
As new Apple products are released year after year, the question arises: what do you do with your older Apple devices?
One possible answer lies in Apple’s trade-in program, which offers users the opportunity to exchange their Apple products for trade-in value or credit towards a new device. You can do this either online with Apple, or in an Apple Store. Apple will refurbish and resell your device or responsibly recycle it if there’s no value.
Third parties offer similar services. Typically, an Apple device’s trade-in value depends largely on the model, specs, and condition. Trade-in values also fluctuate based on supply and demand. More often than not, prices depreciate over time as new models are released. One buy-back site, Decluttr, estimates iPhones lose nearly 50% of their trade-in value after one year.
Here’s a quick overview of Apple’s currently published trade-in values for the most recent iPhones, Apple Watches, and Macs. We’ll also provide some alternative buy-back marketplaces that might pay more than Apple.
iPhone Trade-in Values
Naturally, you’ll get the best trade-in value from the newest and most expensive models that Apple accepts for trade-in, which is the iPhone 14 Pro Max, as no iPhone 15 units are eligible quite yet. The same is true for the Apple Watch and Macs.
Actual maximum trade-in values vary depending on the capacity of the model; the numbers you see below are for the highest-capacity versions.
- iPhone 14 Pro Max: Up to $620
- iPhone 14 Pro: Up to $520
- iPhone 14 Plus: Up to $450
- iPhone 14: Up to $400
- iPhone SE (3rd generation): Up to $160
- iPhone 13 Pro Max: Up to $500
- iPhone 13 Pro: Up to $420
- iPhone 13: Up to $320
- iPhone 13 mini: Up to $300
- iPhone 12 Pro Max: Up to $370
- iPhone 12 Pro: Up to $300
- iPhone 12: Up to $220
- iPhone 12 mini: Up to $180
Apple currently accepts trade-ins all the way back to the 2016 iPhone 7, although you’ll only get up to $30 for that one. Apple won’t give you anything for older models, but it will take them for free recycling.
Apple Watch Trade-in Values
You can trade in any Apple Watch back to the Series 4, which will net you up to $60. Here are the values for Apple’s most recent models. Again, like the iPhone, the Series 9 and Ultra 2 aren’t being accepted just yet.
- Apple Watch Ultra: Up to $390
- Apple Watch Series 8: Up to $185
- Apple Watch SE (2nd Generation): Up to $125
- Apple Watch Series 7: Up to $155
Mac Trade-in Values
To trade in your Mac, you’ll need to provide the serial number so Apple can look up the specific model to give you an estimate. The numbers below are the maximum that Apple will pay for the highest-end models in each family, so expect them to come in considerably lower if you have an entry-level model.
- MacBook Pro: Up to $990
- MacBook Air: Up to $550
- Mac mini: Up to $400
- iMac: Up to $440
Many older, now-discontinued Macs are also still eligible. For example, Apple will pay up to $150 for the 12-inch MacBook, which hasn’t been sold in almost five years, and up to $500 for the 2017 iMac Pro.
Alternative Buy-Back Sites
Although Apple is likely the most convenient option, there are other trade-in sites and marketplaces available that might pay more. For example, the site Back Market is offering $438 for an unlocked 128GB iPhone 14 Pro. Apple is offering up to $520, but that’s likely only for the 1TB model.
Other sites, like Flipsy and Sell Cell, aggregate other buy-back sites allowing you to view all of your options in one place. An unlocked 256GB iPhone 14 Pro in good condition on SellCell.com displays offers between $390 and $590. This is well above the maximum offered through Apple.
Some sites cut out the middleman so you’re selling directly to another consumer. For example, on Swappa, the average sale price for a 128GB iPhone 14 Pro is $668. That’s nearly $150 more than Apple is willing to pay for the 1TB version.
Perhaps the most well-known buy-back site, Gazelle, is also a great place to trade and purchase refurbished phones. However, they are known to inspect devices thoroughly for quality before finalizing an offer.
Typically, trade-in programs are a win-win. They offer more affordable devices to a wide range of customers and responsibly recycle products that can’t be repurposed. We definitely encourage you to compare Apple’s program to others. If you’re willing to invest the time, it’s possible you’ll make more elsewhere.
