The iPhone 18 is out. Here’s what your old iPhone is worth

The iPhone 18 Pro went on sale this week, and the day after the event Apple quietly cut what it pays for your old iPhone — by $50 to $120 on most models. If you're upgrading, the old phone is worth real money, and how you sell it decides how much. Here's what the numbers look like in mid-September, and how to get the most for it.

What Apple will give you

These are Apple's "up to" trade-in credits as of 9 September, for a phone in perfect condition. Most phones don't get the "up to" number.

• iPhone 17 Pro Max up to $885 · 17 Pro $785 · 17 $585
• iPhone 16 Pro Max $610 (was $720) · 16 Pro $510 (was $630) · 16 $430 · 16e $270
• iPhone 15 Pro Max $455 · 15 Pro $370 · 15 $305
• iPhone 14 Pro $285 · 14 $195 · 13 $175 · 12 $120

Two things about those numbers. They're credit toward a new Apple purchase, not cash. And they assume a flawless phone — a scratch on the screen or a battery under 80% knocks it down, and Apple decides how far after you've already sent it off.

What we pay, in cash, today

We buy iPhones over the counter at every store, and you leave with cash. The offer depends on condition, storage and carrier, and it moves with the market every week, so treat these as this week's ballpark for an unlocked phone in good condition:

• iPhone 17 Pro Max around $665 · 17 Pro $575 · 17 $395
• iPhone 16 Pro Max $520 · 16 Pro $385 · 16 $310
• iPhone 15 Pro $305 · 15 $220 · 14 Pro $240 · 14 $150 · 13 $130

So on the newest phones Apple's credit is higher — if you get the full "up to" and you're buying from Apple anyway. On a 13, 14 or a phone with a mark on it, the gap closes fast, and cash in hand today beats a credit that arrives after the phone's been inspected. The honest advice: get both numbers. Ours takes two minutes on the sell page or at the counter, and nobody will pressure you.

A phone still in the box, or activated less than a month ago, is worth more again — we have a separate price for those.

What makes the number go up or down

• Unlocked beats carrier-locked. An unlocked phone can go to anyone; a locked one only to that carrier's customers. Ask your carrier to unlock it before you sell — it's free once the phone is paid off.
• Storage. 256GB is worth more than 128GB, but not double. Don't expect the 1TB premium back.
• Battery health. Settings → Battery → Battery Health. Over 85% is fine. Under 80% costs you, and on an older phone a new battery can pay for itself in the offer.
• Screen and back glass. A cracked screen drops a phone into the "damaged" price, which is a fraction of the working price. On a 16 or 17 that fall is hundreds of dollars — repairing the screen first usually comes out ahead. We'll tell you either way.
• Find My. A phone still signed into iCloud can't be sold to anyone. See below.

Before you hand it over — to anyone

1. Back it up. iCloud, or a Mac or PC. Then check the backup actually finished.
2. Sign out of iCloud (Settings → your name → Sign Out) so Find My is off. This is the step people forget, and a phone with Find My on is a paperweight to the next owner.
3. Erase it. Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Erase All Content and Settings.
4. Take the SIM out if it has one, and unpair your Apple Watch.

Do it in that order. If you sell to us we'll check the phone in front of you, and we can't complete a purchase on a phone that's still activation-locked — Georgia law also requires us to record ID for every device we buy.

Or don't sell it at all

The quiet option: if the only thing wrong with your current iPhone is the battery or the screen, fixing it costs a small fraction of a $1,199 iPhone 18 Pro and it's done while you wait. A 15 or 16 with a new battery is a very good phone for another two years. And if you do upgrade, an old iPhone with a fresh battery is the best hand-me-down in the house.

Either way, know what it's worth before you decide. Two minutes on the sell page, or walk into any store.