When to Sell Your iPhone Before You Upgrade (2026)

The best time to sell your old iPhone is as soon as your new one is set up and your data and number have moved across. Ask for a quote when you order the new phone, then send the old one once you are up and running. Used iPhone values tend to step down each September when Apple announces new models, so a phone left in a drawer only loses value.

That is the short answer. The longer one depends on which iPhone you have, whether Apple has just replaced it, and whether you are really going to use it as a spare. This guide covers the timing for the iPhone 15, 16 and 17 families, the models we buy for cash, and how to choose which phone to sell if your household has more than one.

What happens to iPhone values each September?

Apple has launched its new iPhones in September for years, and it usually withdraws the previous Pro models on the same day. That pattern is visible in the dates for the families we buy:

Two things happen around those dates. A new model resets what people expect to pay for the old one, and a wave of upgraders puts more used phones on the market at the same moment. Both push used values down, and the model that has just been replaced feels it most. This year that is the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, replaced by the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max that Apple announced on 9 September 2026.

We do not put a percentage on the drop, because it varies by model and year and any single number would be a guess. The direction is consistent, though: the months before an announcement are generally a better time to sell than the months after.

Should you sell before or after your new iPhone arrives?

After, but only just. Selling the old phone before the new one is set up risks a few days without a phone, a lost two-factor code, or an eSIM that has not transferred. Waiting weeks after the new one arrives costs value for no benefit.

A locked quote removes the tension. The sequence that works:

1. Order the new phone.
2. Ask for a quote for the old one straight away. Ours is emailed within 2 working hours and stays locked for 14 days, so the figure does not move while you wait for delivery.
3. Set up the new phone with Quick Start or a backup, and check your messages, photos, banking and authenticator apps.
4. Move your number or eSIM and make a call from the new phone.
5. Sign out, erase and send the old phone, using our checklist for preparing an iPhone for selling.

If step 3 drags beyond the 14 days, ask for a fresh quote. It costs nothing.

Which iPhone should you sell if you have more than one?

Many households end up with a spare: last year's phone, a partner's old handset, a phone kept "just in case". If you are choosing which to sell and which to hand down, think about value to a buyer against usefulness to you.

• Sell the newer, higher-storage phone if nobody needs it. Recent Pro models with large storage and healthy batteries are the ones buyers want most, so they hold the most value, and they lose it fastest when a replacement is announced.
• Hand down the phone whose value is lowest relative to how useful it is. An iPhone 15 or 15 Plus with a tired battery may be worth relatively little to a buyer but still makes a perfectly good phone for a child or a relative.
• Think about Apple Intelligence. Apple Intelligence runs on the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max and every iPhone 16 and 17 model, but not on the iPhone 15 or 15 Plus. If the person receiving the hand-me-down wants those features, that decides it.

Is it worth keeping the old iPhone as a backup?

Be honest about whether you will use it. A spare phone that stays switched off still ages: its battery slowly loses capacity, iOS updates pile up, and the model moves one more generation back every September. If it would genuinely be used, as a work phone, a travel phone or a child's first phone, keep it. If it is a drawer phone, it is worth more sold this month than next year.

Does the time of year matter apart from September?

Less than people think. The September announcement is the one date that reliably moves used iPhone values. Outside that, the things you control matter more than the calendar: the phone's condition, its battery health, whether you still have the box, and whether it arrives signed out and erased. Our guide to iPhone battery health and resale value explains the one figure buyers check first.

What if your old iPhone is damaged?

Do not wait for a better moment to fix it. A cracked screen, cracked back glass or a failing battery is quoted as it is, and repair only pays if it adds more than it costs. Our page on selling a broken or cracked iPhone shows exactly what the form asks, and our guide on whether to repair or sell a cracked iPhone works through the decision.

Where to go next

If your old phone is one of the families we buy, go straight to its page: the iPhone 17, Air and 17 Pro or the iPhone 16, 16 Pro and 16e. Each one lists the storage tiers and colours in our form, what we check at inspection, and the details that move the quote for that generation. Sending is free, and payment is by bank transfer within 24 hours of the phone passing inspection.