Apple's latest iPhone Air has set an unwanted record, experiencing the most severe early drop in resale value for any recent iPhone model. Fresh data indicates that some variants have lost almost half their market price within just ten weeks of launch, creating a significant gap with the more stable iPhone 17 lineup.
Sharpest Decline in Recent iPhone History
According to a detailed analysis by SellCell, which tracked real-time trade-in prices from over forty buyback companies in the United States, the iPhone Air's depreciation is unusually steep. The study, which assessed devices in good condition for consistency, reveals that the iPhone Air lineup has seen an average value drop of 44.3% across its storage configurations. Individual models fared even worse, with declines ranging from 40.3% to 47.7%.
This performance places the iPhone Air close to the weakest resale showings since 2022, rivaled only by the iPhone 14 Plus and certain iPhone 13 mini variants. The 1TB iPhone Air model is reported to be the lowest-ranked device in the entire dataset, suffering the most significant financial hit for early adopters.
iPhone 17 Family Holds Value Significantly Better
In stark contrast, the main iPhone 17 range demonstrates much stronger value retention. SellCell's figures show the overall iPhone 17 family depreciated by an average of 34.6% in the same ten-week post-launch period. This is a better result than the iPhone 16 series managed at the same stage last year, which had fallen by 39%. The historical champion remains the iPhone 15 generation, which lost only 31.9% of its value in its first ten weeks.
A model-by-model breakdown highlights a clear divide. The premium Pro models are leading the pack in value retention. The 256GB iPhone 17 Pro Max holds the top spot with a depreciation of just 26.1%, followed by the 512GB Pro Max at 30.3%. Every Pro and Pro Max variant stayed below the 40% depreciation mark, indicating sustained demand in the second-hand market. The standard iPhone 17 models sit between 32.9% and 40.8%, aligning with recent non-Pro generations.
Collectively, this means the iPhone 17 range retains 9.7% more of its original value compared to the Air over the critical first ten weeks.
Ongoing Slide Points to Market Hesitation
The report notes a concerning trend for the iPhone Air. While depreciation for the iPhone 17 family appears to be stabilizing by the tenth week—a pattern similar to the iPhone 15 and 16 lines—the Air's value continues to slide downwards. SellCell suggests that this continued decline may signal buyer hesitation and uncertainty in the resale market specifically towards the Air model.
The iPhone Air occupies every position at the bottom of SellCell's ten-week rankings, a clear indicator of its poor reception in the secondary market. This rapid devaluation comes amid reports of sluggish sales for the current Air model, potentially affecting consumer confidence and long-term ownership costs for Indian buyers who often consider resale value a key purchasing factor.
