Which iPhones Hold Their Value Best? A Data-Backed Ranking
Here’s something most people don’t think about when they buy a new phone: you’re not really spending the full retail price. You’re spending the difference between what you pay today and what you get back when you sell it. If you buy a $1,000 phone and sell it for $700 a year later, you only really spent $300. That’s a very different number.
That’s why knowing which iPhones hold value best actually matters. The right model can cut your real cost of ownership in half compared to the wrong one. And once you know which iPhones hold value best, you can factor that into every purchase decision going forward.
To figure out which models are worth buying, we looked at 24,949 real iPhone trade-ins processed through SmartphonesPLUS between June 2021 and July 2026. Not estimates. Not one listing on eBay. Actual devices, actual prices, across five years of real market data. The iPhone resale value ranking below is what that data produced.
The retention figures in this article come from SmartphonesPLUS historical trade-in data. Current prices update regularly and may differ from the figures shown here.
The Full iPhone Value Retention Ranking
Here’s every model ranked by how much of its original price it kept after 12 months. The 24- and 36-month columns show how it holds up over time.
| Rank | iPhone model | Launch price | 12-month retention | 24-month retention | 36-month retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iPhone 15 Pro Max | $1,199 | 90.6% | 82.1% | 74.3% |
| 2 | iPhone 14 Plus | $899 | 82.3% | 67.7% | 55.7% |
| 3 | iPhone 13 Pro | $999 | 77.0% | 59.3% | 45.7% |
| 4 | iPhone 16 Pro | $999 | 76.4% | 58.4% | 44.7% |
| 5 | iPhone 16 Pro Max | $1,199 | 76.2% | 58.1% | 44.3% |
| 6 | iPhone 14 Pro | $999 | 75.5% | 56.9% | 43.0% |
| 7 | iPhone SE (3rd Gen) | $429 | 73.5% | 54.1% | 39.7% |
| 8 | iPhone 13 | $799 | 72.0% | 51.9% | 37.4% |
| 9 | iPhone 14 | $799 | 69.7% | 48.6% | 33.9% |
| 10 | iPhone 13 Pro Max | $1,099 | 69.1% | 47.7% | 32.9% |
Models with fewer than 50 transactions in the dataset are excluded.
What the Top Five Tell Us
A few of these results are genuinely surprising. Here’s what’s actually going on with each of the top performers, and why these are the models that answer which iPhones hold value best most convincingly.
1. iPhone 15 Pro Max (about 90% at 12 months)
If you bought a 15 Pro Max for $1,199 and sold it a year later, you’d get back roughly $1,085. You basically used a flagship phone for a year, and it only cost you about $115. That’s the best iPhone value retention in the entire dataset, and it’s not particularly close. The 15 Pro Max holds its value because it’s the biggest, best-spec’d phone Apple makes, and secondhand buyers specifically hunt for it when they want a flagship experience without paying new prices.
2. iPhone 14 Plus (about 82% at 12 months)
The 14 Plus is the biggest surprise on this list. It got mixed reviews when it launched and didn’t sell especially well. But that’s actually why it holds its value so well. Fewer of them hit the secondhand market, so when someone wants a big-screen iPhone without Pro pricing, there aren’t many options. Low supply, steady demand, strong price. A $899 phone at launch gets you back around $740 after a year.
3. iPhone 13 Pro (about 77% at 12 months)
The 13 Pro was the last generation before Apple changed the camera system and added the Dynamic Island. A lot of buyers specifically want it because it’s a proven Pro model at a much lower price than current options. That consistent demand keeps the iPhone resale value ranking for this model well above average even years after launch.
4. iPhone 16 Pro (about 76% at 12 months)
The 16 Pro is still new, so its 12-month number reflects a phone that hasn’t really been tested yet. The real question is what happens when the iPhone 17 launches and the 16 Pro becomes last year’s model. Based on how the 15 Pro performed, the outlook is good, but the data will be more meaningful in another year.
5. iPhone 16 Pro Max (about 76% at 12 months)
The 16 Pro Max is almost identical to the 16 Pro in retention right now. Interestingly, the Pro slightly outperforms the Pro Max in the short term. This is the same pattern we saw with the 15 generation. The Pro Max tends to pull ahead over a longer time horizon, but in the first year, the two are neck and neck.
The Patterns Behind the Numbers
A few things show up consistently across every generation that explain which iPhones hold value best.
Big Screens Hold Value Better
Across every generation in the dataset, the larger-screen model outperforms the smaller one. The 14 Plus beats the standard 14 by over 12 percentage points at 12 months. Secondhand buyers want big screens, and they’re willing to pay a premium for them. If you’re choosing between two models at the same price tier, the bigger one is almost always the best iPhone to buy for resale.
The Pro Max Wins Long-Term
At 12 months, the results are mixed. But at 36 months, the Pro Max is consistently the strongest performer. The 15 Pro Max still holds 74% of its value at three years. The base iPhone 14 is at 34% by the same point. If you keep your phone for two or three years before selling, the Pro Max is the clear winner in the iPhone resale value ranking.
Condition Matters Way More Than Storage
This one is worth paying attention to. Based on the transaction data:
- A phone in Broken condition sells for about 58% less than the same phone in Good condition
- A phone in Fair condition sells for about 26% less than Good
- Upgrading from base storage to 256GB only adds about 7% to the resale price
So if you spent $400 extra on storage at launch, you might get back $30 of it when you sell. But if you crack your screen and don’t fix it, you could lose $300 or more off your trade-in. Keeping your phone in good physical shape is the highest-return thing you can do to protect its value.
Why Apple Beats Android Every Time
Older iPhones are still popular with secondhand buyers. CCS Insight found that iPhones made up more than 80% of the used and refurbished phone market in its research. That steady demand helps many iPhones hold their value as they get older.
The reason is software support. Apple keeps its phones updated with new iOS versions for six or seven years. As long as your phone can still run the latest apps, it’s still useful to a secondhand buyer. The moment a phone stops getting updates, its value drops fast and doesn’t recover.
How to Use This When You’re Buying
The ranking above changes how you should think about the sticker price. Here’s the practical version, because which iPhones hold value best is only useful if you can translate it into a real purchase decision:
If you upgrade every year or so, the Pro Max is the smartest financial play. You pay more upfront, but you get most of it back. A $1,199 phone that returns $1,085 after a year costs you about $115 to own. A $799 base model that drops to $560 costs you $239. The “cheaper” phone actually costs more.
If you hold your phone for two to three years, the Pro tier models from the 13 and 14 generations are worth looking at right now. They’ve already taken their biggest depreciation hit, so you’re buying in at a lower price with decent long-term iPhone value retention still ahead of them.
If you’re on a tight budget, the SE (3rd Gen) is genuinely underrated. It launched at $429 and holds about 74% of that after a year. That’s better than most phones at twice the price. It’s not glamorous, but for anyone looking for the best iPhone to buy for resale at the lowest entry point, the numbers are solid.
It’s also worth knowing that unlocked models consistently outperform carrier-locked ones by 15 to 22 percentage points in our data, so buying unlocked is always the smarter move if you plan to sell. That applies across the iPhone resale value ranking at every tier.
See What Your Phone Is Worth Today
Knowing which iPhones hold value best is useful for your next purchase. But if you already have a phone sitting around, the number that actually matters is what it’s worth right now.
SmartphonesPLUS has live pricing for every iPhone in the database. You can check your exact model, storage, carrier, and condition and get a real cash offer in seconds.
Check your iPhone trade-in value and see what you’ve got.
FAQs About iPhone Value Retention
Which iPhones hold value best at the 12-month mark?
Based on 24,949 real trade-in transactions, the iPhone 15 Pro Max holds the most value after a year, retaining about 90% of its original price. The iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 13 Pro are close behind.
Is the best iPhone to buy for resale always the most expensive one?
Not at 12 months. The iPhone 14 Plus outranks the 14 Pro Max in short-term retention despite costing less. But over three years, Pro Max models consistently top the iPhone resale value ranking.
Does iPhone value retention differ by storage size?
Yes, but not by much. Upgrading from base storage to 256GB adds roughly 7% to the resale price. You’ll almost never get back what you paid for the storage upgrade at launch.
How much does condition affect iPhone resale value?
A lot. A broken phone sells for about 58% less than the same phone in Good condition. A phone in Fair condition sells for about 26% less. Keeping your screen intact is worth far more than any storage or spec upgrade.
Does carrier lock affect iPhone resale value?
Yes. Locked AT&T phones sell for about 15% less than unlocked equivalents. T-Mobile locked phones sell for about 22% less. If you can get your phone unlocked before selling, it’s worth doing.
