According to SellCell, a platform used by consumers to compare prices for a particular phone across different phone buyers, if you're considering selling your older iPhone model to raise money to buy one of the new phones before values drop sharply, you're running out of time to make a decent profit. The report says that the price of older iPhone models tends to drop “significantly” after Apple unveils its latest iPhone models. And we know that unveiling will take place on September 9.
We should see pre-orders begin on Friday, September 13, with the release date expected for Friday, September 20. And if every dollar counts towards the purchase of an iPhone 16, iPhone16 Additionally, you should sell your older iPhone (iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max) no later than tomorrow to make a decent profit on such a transaction. If you look at recent historical trends, waiting too long to sell your current iPhone can reduce the value of your current iPhone by as much as 8.3%.
In dollar terms, your iPhone could lose up to $133 in value in the 28 days before the new model's release date. Two weeks before the new models are released, your phone could lose $104 in value. That's what happened last year with the 1TB iPhone 14 Pro Max before the iPhone 15 lineup was released. If that iPhone16 The series will be released on September 20th, and it will be two weeks later on Friday, September 6th.
“September 6 is the best recommended time to sell your old iPhone. Waiting until September 20 could cost you as much as $104, which the iPhone 14 Pro Max 1TB model lost in 2023 when the iPhone 15 hit stores.” SellCell
The big question is, what will you do for a phone between tomorrow and the September 20th release date of the new iPhone16 Series? Some phone buyers let you lock in a price for up to 30 days, allowing you to sell your old iPhone, get close to the maximum price for it, buy your new iPhone, get your new iPhone16 model and send your old phone to the buyer.
The drop in value of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 models ahead of the new phones' release date. | Image credit: SellCell
Last year, in the four weeks leading up to the September 22 release date for the iPhone15 Series, all older iPhone models have seen a “significant” drop in ratings, says SellCell. The trade-in value of the 1TB iPhone 14 Pro Maxfell in the two weeks leading up to last year's release date from $961 on September 8 to $857 on September 22. The year before, the value of the 1TB iPhone 13 Pro Max fell from $792.00 to $727.00 in the same period, a loss of $65.
Maybe you don’t care about spending an extra $60 to $100, but if you’re sitting on the couch looking for change just to buy a iPhone16 model, you should pay attention to SellCell's statistics. And this year, more iPhone users may be looking to upgrade, especially if they have a iPhone15iPhone 15 Plus or earlier model that does not support Apple Intelligence.
Currently, only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are running the Apple Intelligence beta, as all four iPhone16 models. Of course, if you do not plan to install the iOS 18.1 beta, you will have to wait until October when iOS18.1 is expected to be published.