If you were holding your iPhone 15, 16 or 17 back until launch week to get the best trade-in figure, the timing worked against you. Apple’s trade-in values changed on September 9, the day iPhone 18 Pro was announced, and the iPhone values moved down, by as much as $120 on an iPhone 16 Pro.
One number here is Apple’s own. Apple states that customers trading in an iPhone 13 or later can get $175 to $885 in credit in the United States, instantly. It does not publish a per-model price list. Its trade-in page is a questionnaire that produces an estimate, so the model figures below are the values recorded for individual devices rather than a table Apple publishes.
Key facts on Apple Trade In this week
| Item | What is published |
|---|---|
| Apple’s stated range | $175 to $885 in credit for an iPhone 13 or later, in the US |
| What the $885 ceiling needs | An iPhone 17 Pro Max in good condition, not an ordinary older phone |
| What changed on September 9 | Recorded iPhone values fell, the largest drop $120 |
| Which way other devices moved | iPad and Mac values rose, Apple Watch values were flat or lower |
| When the credit arrives | Instantly, against the price at checkout |
| Carrier alternative | Up to $1,200 in Apple’s footnotes, paid as 24 to 36 monthly bill credits |
What an iPhone 15, 16 or 17 is worth now
| Model | Recorded value now | Recorded before September 9 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | $885 | New listing | n/a |
| iPhone 17 Pro | $785 | New listing | n/a |
| iPhone 17 | $585 | New listing | n/a |
| iPhone Air | $585 | New listing | n/a |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | $610 | $720 | -$110 |
| iPhone 16 Pro | $510 | $630 | -$120 |
| iPhone 16 Plus | $430 | $485 | -$55 |
| iPhone 16 | $430 | $480 | -$50 |
| iPhone 16e | $270 | $310 | -$40 |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | $455 | $530 | -$75 |
| iPhone 15 Pro | $370 | $420 | -$50 |
| iPhone 15 Plus | $315 | $340 | -$25 |
| iPhone 15 | $305 | $335 | -$30 |
The iPhone 17 generation appears in the record for the first time this week, which is why there is no earlier figure for those four. Every number is an upper bound for a device in good condition.
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What that leaves you to pay for an iPhone 18 Pro
| You trade | Credit | You pay on a $1,199 iPhone 18 Pro | At the values recorded before September 9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | $610 | $589 | $479 |
| iPhone 16 Pro | $510 | $689 | $569 |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | $455 | $744 | $669 |
| iPhone 15 Pro | $370 | $829 | $779 |
| iPhone 15 | $305 | $894 | $864 |
This is our arithmetic on the recorded values and on Apple’s $1,199 Store price for the 6.3-inch 256GB model. It excludes sales tax. The iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299, so add $100 to every figure in the third column.
Why the headline number is not your number
Two things separate the figure you read from the credit you get. The first is condition. Every value above is a maximum for a phone in good working order, and a cracked screen, a swollen battery or a failed diagnostic quotes lower, sometimes far lower. Apple’s own description is an estimate that it verifies once the device arrives.
The second is which model earns the ceiling. The $885 belongs to an iPhone 17 Pro Max, a phone released a year ago. A three-year-old iPhone 15 in ordinary condition is recorded at $305, and an iPhone 13, the oldest model in Apple’s stated range, sits at the $175 floor.
There is one case where a carrier beats Apple. Apple’s footnotes describe carrier credits of up to $1,200 on a trade-in of an iPhone 14 or later in any condition, which can be worth more than Apple’s inspected value for a badly damaged phone. The trade is that a carrier pays it as 24 to 36 monthly bill credits on a qualifying plan, and leaving early forfeits the rest, while Apple’s credit lands at checkout.
What has not been confirmed
Apple does not publish a per-model trade-in table, so no single figure above can be quoted as an Apple price. Apple has also published no per-device AppleCare+ price for the new iPhones. On the carrier side, Verizon has published nothing for iPhone 18 Pro beyond a pre-order time, AT&T’s own site carries no offer, and T-Mobile’s terms could not be checked.
Pre-orders open on Saturday, September 12 at 5 a.m. PT and the phones arrive on Friday, September 18. Values moved once this week already, so run the estimate on the day you order rather than relying on a figure recorded earlier, and read our iPhone 18 Pro against iPhone 17 Pro comparison before you commit a phone you might rather keep. iOS 27 arrives on September 14.
