A huge number of people are ditching their iPhone 17 Pro Max, but not necessarily because it's bad
Apple's latest super-flagship is reportedly the most traded-in phone already, beating the older iPhone 15 Pro Max and 14 Pro Max.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max's value is apparently both a blessing and a curse. | Image by PhoneArena
Is the iPhone 17 Pro Max a flop?
Absolutely not, and the number four spot occupied by the 6.9-inch Apple A19 Pro powerhouse on last year's list of the best-selling smartphones worldwide proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt.
This chart doesn't look great for Apple, but it doesn't look as bad as you think either. | Image by SellCell
But the hugely popular device does have a problem, and it might be related to its... exceptional value. Basically, it looks like the iPhone 17 Pro Max is too good for many owners to resist... reselling it shortly after their original purchase.
That's right, this thing is retaining its value much better than its predecessor, which could explain (at least in part) why it's already the most traded-in phone around, followed by the iPhone 15 Pro Max, 14 Pro Max, and 16 Pro Max.
Compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which had lost about 32.5 percent of its original value within 145 days of its release, the 17 Pro Max's depreciation sits at an impressive 25.4 percent after a similar time period. That means buyers of Apple's latest (and greatest) jumbo-sized handset can easily sell their still very new devices at considerably higher prices than 16 Pro Max owners could this time last year, and indeed, a lot of folks are doing just that and trying to recoup as much of their "investment" as possible.
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The iPhone 17 Pro Max even holds a pretty significant advantage over the 15 Pro Max and 14 Pro Max in the hierarchy of the most popular devices for trade-ins, with its 11.5 percent slice of the pie having expanded steadily from just 5.1 percent at the end of November 2025, 7.7 percent on January 5, 2026, and 9.5 percent near the end of last month.
Where are all these former 17 Pro Max owners going?
That, my friends and dear readers, is the key question for Apple, and unfortunately, SellCell does not provide any answers. But that's not going to stop me from making a few guesses, starting with the very strong possibility that most of those selling their expensive iPhone 17 Pro Max units are now "settling" for a cheaper 17 Pro, "vanilla" iPhone 17, or even the older 16 Pro Max.
That's A LOT of iPhones and only one Android device. | Image by SellCell
It's obviously also possible that a large chunk of these "deserters" are abandoning the iOS "ecosystem" altogether and making the switch to Android, but somehow, I doubt that's really what's happening here. On that note, however, it's definitely worth pointing out that no less than 19 of the 20 most traded-in phones right now are made by Apple, with Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra being the only "intruder" on the list in 17th place.
Once again, that shouldn't be viewed as a knock on devices like the iPhone 13, iPhone 11, iPhone 14, iPhone XR, and iPhone 16e, as one of the big reasons why so many people are reselling these older Apple products is that they are still in demand, holding a lot more value than Android-based counterparts released in 2025, 2022, 2019, and 2018.
What does this all mean for the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max?
I might be rushing to conclusions here, but I believe that's the main thing that should concern Apple right now. While the iPhone 17 family is likely still in a good position to continue selling like hotcakes and retaining enough users to not harm Cupertino's financials in the short term, the rumored launch strategy of the iPhone 18 series could backfire in a pretty big way.
Will the iPhone 18 Pro Max follow its predecessor's suit next year? | Image by SellCell
That's because the "vanilla" iPhone 18 is not expected out until next year, and if the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have similar difficulties as its predecessor in retaining its buyers beyond the first few months of use, Apple will probably start to suffer relatively soon.
Of course, the iPhone 17 Pro Max's appeal may have been weakened by its many obvious similarities with the 16 Pro Max, so if the 18 Pro Max brings more meaningful upgrades to the table (and no price hike), Apple's problem could be solved pretty quickly.
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