New trade-in data suggests that the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max has quickly become one of the most traded smartphones.
According to a new report from SellCell, Apple’s latest flagship iPhone has quickly risen to the top of the independent trade-in market, accounting for 11.5% of all devices appearing in the trade-in top 20 just months after release. The analysis is based on internal SellCell trading data and secondary market price trends collected from 40 independent iPhone buyers.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max share of the top 20 deals increased from around 5.1% in late November to 11.5% in early February, more than doubling in around 12 weeks. 86% of units traded were categorized as in mint condition or in good condition, indicating that many owners are selling soon after purchase.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max remain in the top spots, each accounting for around 7.3% of counters, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 13 each have 7.2% of counters. The top 20 devices together represent approximately 47% of all business activity.
Trade-in ratings typically reflect a wide range of devices at different stages of their life cycle, with older models often dominating resale volume due to the large number of installed bases and the natural upgrade cycle. So the rapid rise of the iPhone 17 Pro Max is remarkable, as the device only entered the market relatively recently, but has already become the most traded model across the monitored channels.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max has apparently lost approximately 25.4% of its value since launch when measuring the average selling prices for the device in mint condition over a 145-day period. In the equivalent time frame, the iPhone 16 Pro Max lost roughly 32.5% of its value. This represents over 7% less depreciation on the newer model and up to $95 in additional retained value compared to the previous generation over the same period.
SellCell attributes early trade-ins primarily to strong resale prices. Average iPhone 17 Pro Max resale values are currently around $967.50. Premium smartphones can act as short-term assets that owners can sell to free up cash when needed, so the rise of the iPhone 17 Pro Max to the top of the exchange likely reflects broader economic conditions.
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