Apple has sent out invitations to the iPhone 18 (and the concerningly expensive iPhone Fold ) launch event, and if you're planning to upgrade , that announcement will change how much your iPhone can be traded in for, according to new data.

Sell Your iPhone Now Before The iPhone 18 Launch Research Says

New research from SellCell tracked trade-in prices for every iPhone model across the iPhone 15, iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 launches. The findings show that 117 of 156 iPhones tracked (75%) lost trade-in value between Apple's announcement day and release day, which is roughly 10 days.

The most recent launch was the worst yet. Ahead of the iPhone 17 release, 50 of 54 iPhones tracked (92.6%) lost value in those 10 days. The average loss was $36.46. The iPhone 16 Plus 512GB saw the biggest loss in cash terms, dropping $129 in value. The iPhone 15 Plus 128GB suffered the largest percentage fall, going from $440 to $351, a loss of 20.2% in under two weeks.

"Consumers considering an upgrade should compare trade-in prices as soon as Apple announces its new iPhone rather than automatically waiting for release day," Sarah McConomy, COO at SellCell, explained.

You May Just Have To Eat That Cost If You're Buying The iPhone 18

Your phone's value dropping is the natural order of things, even if SellCell's data is stark. The company offers a solution if you want to get as much as possible for your used iPhone: lock in a price today with a buyback company.

A buyback company is a third-party service, like SellCell or musicMagpie, that gives you an instant quote for your used phone and pays you directly. You send the phone in, they check it against the condition you described, and pay out.

SellCell points out, and as Gadget GoGo also said last week , that iPhone 18 buyers can get a quote for their used phone right now and sell at that price while holding on to their phone before the new one arrives.

But it’s worth saying that buyback companies don’t always offer the best price. You trade the ease and convenience of selling your phone for the best possible offer. If you can be bothered with the rigmarole of selling on the secondary market like eBay, you will get more for it.

If you do go down the private sale route, the principle still holds that selling now will net more for your handset before the iPhone 18 is officially launched. It just means that you will have to go back to your old beater for a couple of weeks while you wait for the postman.

Or, Just Trade Your Phone In When Buying The iPhone 18

The other side of the coin is that your phone's value can rise if you trade it in to buy the iPhone 18 or another Android flagship. Apple and Google are all running elevated trade-in promotions right now that will net more than going through a buyback company or selling on eBay.

For example, Apple raised its trade-in estimates in early August which saw the iPhone 16 Pro jump from $560 to $630, a 12.5% increase, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max went from $695 to $720. Apple also added Android phones to its trade-in programme for the first time, including the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL at $315 and the OnePlus 13 at $250.

Google is running its most aggressive trade-in promotion of the year on the Pixel 11, guaranteeing a minimum of £400 ($545) for any eligible phone . It’s accepting defunct devices from LG, Huawei, Sony and HTC, alongside decade old phones from alongside bigger brands like Samsung, Apple and Motorola. If you trade in an iPhone 16 Pro Max, you’ll get $700 in the US and £806 in the U.K.

Samsung’s trade-in values on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra tops out at $1000 for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy S26 Ultra, but a more realistic trade-in like the Galaxy S25 Ultra nets $800. Samsung’s Apple prices are shockingly poor, though, only paying $475 for the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

The other benefit to trading in is that these prices will fluctuate throughout the year. So if you don’t opt to buy the iPhone 18 now, Samsung and Google raise their prices again throughout the year to entice Apple users, while Apple will hold those trade in prices until spring next year.