With the debut of the Apple iPhone 15 less than a month away, trade-in prices for earlier models are expected to fall.
September is quickly coming, which has traditionally been the month in which Apple launched its updated iPhones. In reality, Apple has only failed to debut a numbered iPhone in September once in the entire decade, and that was when Covid-19 pushed it back a month to October 2020.
While Apple has not confirmed the official date of the iPhone 15’s release, the word on the street is that it will be on Tuesday, September 12, which puts us less than a month away.
According to two firms that forecast substantial decline of iPhone trade-in prices over the next month, Sellcell and Envirofone, now is the best time to trade in your current iPhone to get the most bang for your dollars.
By analyzing trade-in prices over the last two years, the US firm discovered that each year’s “current” iPhone had lost between 60% and 65% of its initial RRP by 28 days before the debut of a new model.
Here’s some information from last year’s iPhone 13:
As a result, the company concludes that the best time to sell your handset is between August 19 and 26, which corresponds to the rumored September 12 reveal, assuming a one-week lead-in to the handset actually being on sale.
Of course, it gets worse after the new phone is released, and UK-based Envirofone has laid its cards on the table with some forecasts in pounds. It estimates that by October, the iPhone 14 will lose up to £102 from its current trade-in value, the iPhone 13 up to £86, and the iPhone 12 up to £41.
The following are the figures that the company anticipates:
| Model | Envirofone current price | Oct 2023 Potential | Potential Drop | Potential Drop % |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max 128GB | £745.00 | £667.52 | £77 | -10% |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro 128GB | £645.00 | £543.16 | £102 | -16% |
| Apple iPhone 14 Plus 128GB | £525.00 | £442.11 | £83 | -16% |
| Apple iPhone 14 128GB | £500.00 | £477.78 | £22 | -4% |
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 128GB | £595.00 | £519.95 | £75 | -13% |
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro 128GB | £520.00 | £434.23 | £86 | -16% |
| Apple iPhone 13 Mini 128GB | £355.00 | £320.65 | £34 | -10% |
| Apple iPhone 13 128GB | £410.00 | £369.58 | £40 | -10% |
| Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 128GB | £385.00 | £344.17 | £41 | -11% |
| Apple iPhone 12 Pro 128GB | £325.00 | £300.93 | £24 | -7% |
| Apple iPhone 12 Mini 64GB | £195.00 | £173.80 | £21 | -11% |
| Apple iPhone 12 64GB | £240.00 | £213.91 | £26 | -11% |
One reason would-be iPhone 15 owners may postpone is the legitimate fear of being without a phone for a month.
However, it’s worth noting that phone trade-in firms typically lock in an agreed-upon trade-in price for a limited period of time – 14 days for Envirophone and 21 days for Music Magpie. That implies you can postpone the sale without losing the trade-in value – unless you manage to break it in the meantime.
According to several Apple leakers, this year’s iPhone 15 consumers may expect USB-C charging as well as two iPhone 14 Pro hand-me-downs: Dynamic Island and the speedier A16 CPU.
Meanwhile, iPhone 15 Pro purchasers can expect a titanium frame, a speedier A17 CPU, a customizable action button to replace the mute switch, and a periscope camera lens on the largest Pro Max model. It will also use USB-C.
