Apple’s published trade-in figure for an iPhone Duo purchase is a range, not a price: $175 to $885 in credit for an iPhone 13 or later, applied instantly at checkout. The top of that range needs an iPhone 17 Pro Max in good condition, and even then it leaves $1,114 to pay on a $1,999 fold.
Apple publishes no per-model trade-in table anywhere. The Trade In page is a questionnaire that produces an estimate, and Apple’s own footnote says values vary by condition, year and configuration. Everything below the range is a recorded figure rather than something Apple prints as a price list.
| Key fact | What Apple publishes |
|---|---|
| The range | $175 to $885 in credit, US, for an iPhone 13 or later |
| How the credit arrives | Instantly, applied at checkout |
| Per-model values | Not published; the estimator asks condition questions |
| What sets the figure | Condition, year and configuration, verified after Apple receives the device |
| Last changed | September 9, 2026, when iPhone payouts fell, some by as much as $120 |
| iPhone Duo price | $1,999 (256GB) to $3,199 (2TB) |
| When Duo buyers trade in | Pre-orders October 16, on sale October 23 |
What each iPhone takes off a $1,999 iPhone Duo
The middle column holds the values recorded for individual models after Apple’s September 9 change. They are ceilings for a device in good condition, not quotes. The right-hand column is our arithmetic against Apple’s $1,999 list price, before sales tax.
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| Trade-in device | Recorded value | You still pay for a 256GB Duo |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | $885 | $1,114 |
| iPhone 17 Pro | $785 | $1,214 |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | $610 | $1,389 |
| iPhone 17 or iPhone Air | $585 | $1,414 |
| iPhone 16 Pro | $510 | $1,489 |
| iPhone 16 | $430 | $1,569 |
| iPhone 15 Pro | $370 | $1,629 |
| iPhone 14 Pro | $285 | $1,714 |
| iPhone 13 | $175 | $1,824 |
Read the pattern rather than the individual rows. Even the best trade-in in Apple’s range covers less than half the price of the cheapest fold, and a two-year-old Pro covers less than a fifth.
Why the headline number is not your number
Every figure above is a maximum for a device Apple grades as good condition. Apple’s stated method is that you answer a few questions accurately, and once it receives the device within the stated window and verifies its condition, you will most likely receive the full estimate.
The words doing the work there are verify and most likely. A cracked screen, a swollen battery or a failed diagnostic drops the offer, sometimes to the point where recycling is the only option Apple offers. Nothing is guaranteed until the phone has been inspected.
The September 9 reset, and what it means for an October purchase
Apple changed every iPhone trade-in value on the day of the event and all of them went down. The recorded value for an iPhone 16 Pro fell from $630 to $510, the iPhone 16 Pro Max from $720 to $610, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max from $530 to $455.
That inverts the usual launch-week advice. An iPhone 16 Pro owner who held on for the keynote was paid $120 less than in August. Duo buyers are a further five weeks out, because the fold does not go on sale until October 23, and Apple publishes no schedule for when it revises values again.
The trade-in that pays most is often not a phone
On the same day iPhone values fell, iPad and Mac values rose. The recorded figures put a MacBook Pro at $1,315, a Mac Studio at $1,460, an iPad Pro at $905, a MacBook Air at $705 and a Mac mini at $620.
Against a $1,999 iPhone Duo that changes the shape of the purchase. A MacBook Pro trade-in leaves $684 to pay by our arithmetic, which no iPhone in Apple’s range gets close to. Apple also accepts Android hardware, with a Pixel 9 Pro XL recorded at $290 and a OnePlus 13 at $250.
Apple’s credit is instant, and there is no carrier alternative yet
The structural advantage of Apple Trade In is timing. The credit comes off the price at the moment you buy. Carrier trade-in credits arrive as bill credits spread over 24 to 36 months, and the balance stops if you leave the plan.
For iPhone 18 Pro, Apple’s footnotes carry carrier credits of up to $1,200. Apple’s iPhone Duo release does not extend that figure to the fold, and no US carrier has published Duo trade-in terms at all, so there is currently nothing to compare Apple’s offer against.
What has not been confirmed
Apple has not published a per-model value for any device, has not said whether the September figures will still stand in October, and has not published a Duo carrier offer. Verizon and Boost have published nothing for the new iPhones, and T-Mobile’s own terms could not be verified. Treat every figure here as an estimate that has to survive an inspection.
Pre-orders open Friday, October 16 at 5 a.m. PT, so run Apple’s estimator that week rather than relying on today’s number, and back up and sign out of Find My before the old phone leaves your hands. Our iPhone Duo price and specifications guide and our Duo against iPhone 18 Pro Max comparison cover what the remaining balance actually buys.
