Apple reset its trade-in values on September 9, the day it announced iPhone 18 Pro, and it moved them in opposite directions by category. Every iPhone payout fell, some by as much as $120. Every Mac except the Mac Pro went up, and so did every iPad.
That inverts the usual launch-week advice. If you are funding an iPhone 18 Pro from a drawer full of old Apple hardware, the value recorded for a MacBook Pro is now $1,315, which is more than the $1,199 Apple charges for the phone.
| Item | What is on the record |
|---|---|
| Date the values changed | September 9, 2026 |
| iPhone | All values down, by up to $120 |
| iPad | All values up |
| Mac | All up except Mac Pro, unchanged at $2,195 |
| Apple Watch | Mostly down or flat |
| Apple’s only published range | $175 to $885 in credit, and only for an iPhone 13 or later |
| Per-model table on apple.com | Not published. The page is a questionnaire |
| When the credit lands | Instantly at purchase, in Apple’s own word |
The Mac and iPad values recorded, before and after
| Device | Value recorded now | Before September 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Mac Pro | $2,195 | $2,195 |
| Mac Studio | $1,460 | $1,305 |
| MacBook Pro | $1,315 | $855 |
| iPad Pro | $905 | $720 |
| MacBook Air | $705 | $580 |
| Mac mini | $620 | $480 |
| iPad Air | $510 | $490 |
| iMac | $385 | $380 |
| iMac Pro | $340 | $315 |
| iPad mini | $320 | $300 |
| iPad | $280 | $260 |
The MacBook Pro line is the one to look at twice. A recorded rise from $855 to $1,315 is an increase of $460, or 54 percent, in a single day. Mac mini gained $140, iPad Pro $185, MacBook Air $125.
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These are values recorded for individual models rather than a table Apple publishes. Apple’s own trade-in page states only the method, and the sentence it does quote is a range: an iPhone 13 or later gets $175 to $885 in credit. There is no published Mac or iPad range at all.
What went the other way on the same day
iPhone owners took the reduction. The value recorded for an iPhone 16 Pro fell from $630 to $510, and an iPhone 16 Pro Max from $720 to $610, so the two phones most likely to be traded for a new Pro lost $120 and $110 on the day the new Pro was announced.
Apple Watch mostly slipped as well: Ultra 2 from $305 to $265, Series 10 from $165 to $150, Series 9 from $135 to $115, with Apple Watch SE second generation flat at $60. On the same day Apple raised the price of the older iPhones it kept selling by $100 each, which means the two halves of the classic launch-week play, a cheaper old model and a richer trade-in, both moved against the buyer.
A laptop can cover the phone. That is the whole trick
Apple trade-in credit is applied to the purchase in front of you, instantly, rather than tied to replacing the same class of device. On Apple’s published $1,199 starting price for iPhone 18 Pro, the $1,315 recorded for a MacBook Pro covers it with $116 to spare. Against the $1,299 Apple’s store listed for the same phone unlocked, the margin is $16.
For the larger phone the sums are tighter. A $1,315 credit clears the iPhone 18 Pro Max at $1,299 by $16, and a $905 iPad Pro credit leaves $294 to find. None of that changes the price of the phone. A credit reduces what you hand over, and the sticker stays where it is.
Two practical catches. Every figure above is a maximum for a device in good condition, subject to Apple’s inspection, and trading a working Mac to buy a phone means owning one fewer computer. In India, Apple states that Mac, iPad and Apple Watch trade-in is in-store only, while iPhone trade-in works in store and online.
Why the direction of travel is invisible on Apple’s own site
Apple does not publish a per-model price list, a change log or a dated history of its trade-in values. Its page describes the process instead: “It depends on the device, model, manufacturer, and condition. Answer a few questions accurately, and once we receive the device within the specified time frame and verify its condition, you’ll most likely receive the full amount of the estimated refund.”
Because of that, a rise or a fall is only visible to someone who recorded the figures on both sides of the change. That is why every number in this article is described as a value recorded rather than a figure Apple states, and why the $175 to $885 range is the only trade-in sentence that can be quoted as Apple’s own.
What has not been confirmed
- Any Apple-published credit range for Mac, iPad or Apple Watch. The only range Apple states covers iPhone 13 or later.
- Why the values moved in opposite directions. Apple published no explanation and no announcement.
- Whether these values hold past launch week. Apple gives no notice period before a change.
- Any condition grading scale, so the gap between a recorded maximum and a real quote cannot be checked in advance.
- Whether more than one device can be traded against a single order.
Pre-orders open at 5:00 a.m. PT today, Saturday September 12, with delivery from Friday, September 18, and Apple applies its credit inside that checkout. Our event recap covers the rest of what Apple priced and repriced on September 9.