Bye-Bye, iPhone 17 Pro Max?

Year-Old Flagship Takes 12.8% of All iPhone Trade-In Activity as iPhone 18 Pro Arrives

Introduction

The arrival of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max has started the familiar annual upgrade cycle, with owners deciding whether Apple’s latest flagships offer enough to make them part with their current iPhone.

But which iPhones are owners actually giving up this time?

SellCell analyzed iPhone trade-in activity between September 9 and September 20, 2026, to find out which models are appearing most frequently as Apple’s latest Pro generation arrives.

And rather than being dominated by older handsets that have reached the end of a typical upgrade cycle, the results show some of Apple’s newest and most expensive iPhones right near the top.

The Most Traded-In iPhones Around the iPhone 18 Pro Launch

Figures based on SellCell iPhone trade-in activity recorded September 9–20, 2026. The 20 models shown accounted for 87.4% of all iPhone trade-in activity recorded during the period. Trade-in volume represents each model’s share of total iPhone trade-in activity.

Sitting at No.1 is the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Apple’s year-old flagship accounted for 12.8% of all iPhone trade-in activity recorded during the period, compared with 9.7% for the second-place iPhone 16 Pro Max — a 3.1 percentage-point gap, equivalent to around 32% more activity.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max follows in third with 8.7%, while the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max complete the top five, both at 5.6%.

There’s also a striking difference between Apple’s two iPhone 17 Pro models. The iPhone 17 Pro accounts for just 4.4% of activity, meaning the 17 Pro Max generated around 2.9 times as much trade-in activity as its smaller sibling.

Pro Max models dominate more broadly, too. Four of the five most traded-in iPhones are Pro Max devices, and those four generations — iPhone 17, 16, 15 and 14 Pro Max — together account for 36.8% of all iPhone trade-in activity recorded during the period.

Older iPhones haven’t disappeared from the trade-in market. The iPhone 13 ranks seventh with 4.7%, while the iPhone 12 and iPhone 11 also appear in the Top 20.

But the prominence of recent, premium models raises a more interesting question: why are owners already trading in iPhones that are only one or two generations old?

Why Are Owners Trading In Such New iPhones?

The most straightforward explanation is that some iPhone 17 Pro Max owners are simply annual upgraders, trading last year’s flagship towards the new iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max.

There’s a financial reason to move quickly, too. A one-year-old flagship still has considerable value that can be put towards the next phone. And for owners still paying off their current iPhone, getting the best possible price could help cover more of the remaining balance before its resale value falls.

Waiting, meanwhile, can mean watching that value fall.

SellCell’s previous research into iPhone trade-in values around the iPhone 18 Pro launch found that 75% of the iPhones tracked across the previous three Apple launches lost trade-in value between announcement and release day. During the iPhone 17 launch, 92.6% of the models tracked fell in value over that short period.

Some owners may therefore be making a fairly simple calculation: trade in a recent flagship while it’s still worth more, rather than wait for the arrival of Apple’s latest Pro models to push its value down further.

Where they sell can make a sizeable difference too.

SellCell’s separate iPhone 18 Pro trade-in price comparison found that Apple’s offer for an iPhone 16 Pro Max was $170 below the highest price available through SellCell at the time of the research.

So whether an owner is upgrading to the iPhone 18 Pro, trying to recover as much as possible from a phone they’re still paying for, or simply selling before its value drops further, it pays to check what the handset is actually worth. Owners can compare current iPhone trade-in prices before deciding when and where to sell.

SellCell’s data can’t tell us the individual reason each owner is trading in, or confirm which phone they’re buying next. But these factors help explain why relatively new and valuable Pro Max models could be appearing so prominently in trade-in activity around the iPhone 18 Pro launch.

Conclusion

The most striking finding isn’t simply that a Pro Max tops the table. It’s that the phone at No.1 is only one generation old.

With the iPhone 17 Pro Max accounting for 12.8% of all trade-in activity — and four Pro Max generations appearing in the top five — owners of some of Apple’s newest and most valuable iPhones are already generating strong trade-in activity.

For some, that may simply be the annual jump to the iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max. For others, trading now could be about getting as much value as possible from their existing phone before prices fall further.

SellCell’s data can’t tell us which motivation applies to each owner. But it does show that this year’s trade-in activity isn’t being led by people finally retiring old iPhones. Recent flagship owners are right at the front of the queue.

Methodology

SellCell analyzed iPhone trade-in activity recorded between September 9 and September 20, 2026, around the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.

The study ranks the 20 iPhone models generating the highest trade-in activity during the period. Together, those models accounted for 87.4% of all iPhone trade-in activity recorded.

Trade-in volume represents each model’s share of total iPhone trade-in activity, not its share of the Top 20 alone.

The data reflects trade-in activity recorded through SellCell. It does not identify which replacement handset an individual subsequently purchased.

Our content is created in good faith and reviewed regularly - if you spot an error, please contact corrections@sellcell.com. Read our Editorial Policy