Is Your Old iPhone Worth Less After the iPhone 18 Launch?
Whenever Apple announces a new iPhone, you might wonder what will happen to the one you already own. Should you sell it before the price drops? Or can you wait until you’re ready to upgrade?
Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max on September 9, 2026. Both phones went on sale September 18. We wanted to see what happened to older iPhone trade-in prices around those dates, so we compared SmartphonesPLUS prices from before and after the event.
We found that nearly 80% of the 787 phone versions in our review had the same listed cash offer on both dates. The newer models took the biggest hit.
In this article, we’ll look at which prices changed around the iPhone 18 launch, which models lost the most value, and what that means if you’re thinking about selling your phone.
Did Trade-In Prices Fall After the iPhone 18 Launch?
Most of the iPhone offers we checked didn’t change during the iPhone 18 launch period. We compared 787 versions of older iPhones between September 3 and October 15, 2026. Of those, 628 stayed the same, 147 went down, and 12 went up.
The largest drops among the newer models were on the iPhone 17 Pro line and the iPhone Air. The standard iPhone 17 and the iPhone 14 and 15 families had no price cuts in the versions we tracked.
So, was there an iPhone price drop after launch? For some models, yes. But it didn’t happen to every phone. These results come from SmartphonesPLUS cash offers, so they don’t reflect every used iPhone sale across the country.
How We Compared Before and After Prices
We checked the same phone versions on two dates. September 3 was before Apple’s announcement, and October 15 was after the new Pro models went on sale.
For each match, we kept the model, storage, carrier or unlocked status, and Good condition the same. We only included phones with a listed cash offer above $0 on both dates.
The table shows the average offer for each model group. These are past SmartphonesPLUS prices, not today’s offers or final customer payments.
| iPhone model | Versions checked | Sept. 3 average | Oct. 15 average | Change |
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | 24 | $753 | $715 | Down 5.1% |
| iPhone 17 Pro | 18 | $648 | $622 | Down 4.1% |
| iPhone Air | 18 | $480 | $460 | Down 4.1% |
| iPhone 17 | 12 | $398 | $398 | No change |
| iPhone 16 family | 96 | $333 | $333 | Up less than 0.1% |
| iPhone 15 family | 78 | $267 | $267 | No change |
| iPhone 14 family | 84 | $211 | $211 | No change |
Note: These are rounded average SmartphonesPLUS cash offers for the same phone models, storage, carrier status, and Good condition. The percentage changes use the original, unrounded figures. Final payments may differ after inspection.
But what could you get for your phone right now? Here are today’s offers for unlocked models in Good condition.
- iPhone 17 Pro Max (256GB): $646
- iPhone 17 Pro (256GB): $621
- iPhone Air (256GB): $522
Your offer may change based on your phone’s storage, carrier, and condition. You can also check our current iPhone trade-in values to compare more models.
The Newest iPhones Lost the Most Value
The iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air saw the clearest price cuts among the newer models we checked. Every version of these three phones that we tracked had a lower offer in October. The amount lost was different for each model. Here’s what we found.
iPhone 17 Pro Max Saw the Biggest Dollar Drop
The iPhone 17 Pro Max trade-in value lost about $38 on average, falling from $753 in September to $715 in October. All 24 versions we checked had lower offers the second time around.
That works out to about a 5% drop over six weeks. Your own phone may have seen a different price change depending on its storage and carrier status.
Every iPhone 17 Pro Version Dipped
The offer fell on all 18 iPhone 17 Pro versions in the study. On average, offers went from about $648 to $622, a drop of $26.
If you’re planning to upgrade, that drop could mean less cash toward your next phone. The $26 figure is an average, so your own offer may have changed by a different amount. Keep in mind that these past prices can’t tell us what offers will look like next month, either.
iPhone Air Took a Similar Slide
The iPhone Air followed a similar pattern. Its average offer fell from $480 to about $460, a drop of nearly $20. All 18 versions we tracked had lower offers by October 15.
These results show that an iPhone price drop after launch can vary, even among newer models. The exact model and phone details still matter when you’re checking its value.
Most iPhones Held Their Price
The drops on the newer models were only part of the story. Most of the offers in our full sample stayed the same between September 3 and October 15.
That included every version of the standard iPhone 17 and the iPhone 14 and 15 families we tracked. The iPhone 16 family barely changed.
The Standard iPhone 17 Stayed Steady
The standard iPhone 17 had a different result from its Pro versions. None of the 12 versions we checked moved, and the average held at about $398.
If you have a standard iPhone 17, the price cuts seen on the Pro models don’t tell you what your own phone is worth. You’d need to check the offer for your exact version.
iPhone 14, 15, and 16 Held Their Ground
No iPhone 14 or 15 versions we tracked changed in price. That included 84 versions of the iPhone 14 family and 78 versions of the iPhone 15 family. Their average offers stayed near $211 and $267.
The iPhone 16 family barely moved. Of the 96 versions we checked, 94 stayed the same, and two went up slightly. The average still rounded to about $333 on both dates.
That doesn’t mean these prices will stay the same forever. It only tells us what happened between the two dates we checked.
So What Should You Do With Your Phone?
If the iPhone 18 launch made you worry about your old phone losing value, there’s no need to rush into selling it based on the announcement alone. Our data show that prices didn’t fall for every model.
Think about how you use your phone. If it still works well, runs the apps you need, and lasts through the day, keeping it might make more sense than paying for an upgrade.
If you’re ready for something new, check your current offer before you shop. Go to Settings > General > About to find your model and storage size.
Then check whether your phone is unlocked or tied to a carrier. Look at the screen, back glass, cameras, and charging port too. All these details can affect your offer.
Prices Change for Lots of Reasons
Your iPhone may have held its value during these six weeks; iPhone depreciation can add up over time as the phone gets older. We can’t say Apple’s announcement caused the price changes in this study. Trade-in offers can change for other reasons, including buyer demand and how many used phones are available.
Check Your Price Before You Decide
Hearing about an iPhone price drop after launch can make selling feel urgent. But these results can’t tell us what your phone will be worth next month. If you’re selling an iPhone 13 for cash, compare offers using the same storage, carrier status, and condition. Check prices on the same day for a fair comparison.
You may also need your current iPhone to move photos, sign in to banking apps, or set up a new phone. Take care of those tasks before sending it away.
Don’t Let the iPhone 18 Launch Rush You
The iPhone 18 launch didn’t cause an overnight price drop for every older iPhone. Nearly 80% of the offers we checked stayed the same, while the newest Pro models and the iPhone Air lost some value. So if you’re thinking about upgrading, there’s no reason to panic-sell your current phone based on launch headlines alone. Remember that prices can still change over time.
At SmartphonesPLUS, you can check what your iPhone is worth based on its model, storage, carrier, and condition. That gives you a current cash offer to work with instead of guessing how much value your phone might have lost.
Ready to see what yours is worth? Get your iPhone cash offer with SmartphonesPLUS.
FAQs
Did every iPhone quote drop?
No. Of the 787 phone versions we checked, 628 kept the same listed offer between September 3 and October 15, 2026. Another 147 fell, and 12 went up. The changes were different across models.
Does this show the iPhone 17 effect on old iPhone prices?
No. This study covers the September 2026 iPhone 18 launch period, when Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. It doesn’t measure the iPhone 17 effect on old iPhone prices from the 2025 release, which would need a separate set of before-and-after prices.
Are these listed quotes final payouts?
No. They’re SmartphonesPLUS cash offers shown on two dates, not completed sales. The final payment can differ if the phone’s details or condition aren’t the same as those entered for the quote.
Did Apple cause the value changes?
We can’t say for sure. We checked prices before and after Apple’s event, but demand and the number of used phones available can affect offers too. This study shows which listed prices changed, not exactly why they changed.
Does this include the iPhone Duo launch?
No. Our last price check was October 15, before iPhone Duo preorders opened on October 16. The phone is set to go on sale October 23. We can’t use these prices to measure changes after those dates.
