iPhone 17 resale numbers are high just a few months after launch — Here’s why Americans are selling the Apple smartphone

A study by online smartphone comparison platform Sell Cell has found that Apple’s newest flagship device — the iPhone 17 Pro Max, ranks first in terms of resell, accounting for 11.5% of all trade-ins in the United States, just months after launch.

The report noted that the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s value has depreciated slower — by nearly 25.4% over a 145-day period, compared to its predecessor, the iPhone 16 Pro Max which saw its price fall 32.5% in the same period.

The study, made public in a blogpost last week, further noted that a majority of the trade-ins made are unlocked — suggesting that customers are looking to make big bucks and timing their resales to match strong market prices.

This analysis was based on internal SellCell trade-in data and secondary-market pricing trends across 40 independent iPhone buyers, as per the report.

Why are iPhone 17 Pro Max owners selling their device so early?

So, why are Americans selling their new iPhone 17 Pro Max phones? The answer is a combination of factors, according to the report. Here’s a look:

iPhone 17 beats predecessor on value?

The report called the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s retained value, “one of the most striking findings” in its study, especially when compared with its predecessor.

It added, “This performance helps explain why some early adopters may choose to sell sooner rather than later — not because the device has failed, but because resale prices remain unusually strong for a recently launched flagship.”

• Share increased steadily week by week rather than spiking suddenly, suggesting sustained resale activity.
• The device moved from outside the top five to number one between late December and mid-January.
• Growth continued into early 2026, indicating ongoing early resale behaviour rather than a short-term promotion or launch spike.

“The rapid rise of the iPhone 17 Pro Max as the most traded-in device highlights how … strong value retention and high resale prices appear to be encouraging some owners to sell earlier than usual, treating premium devices more like financial assets than long-term purchases,” the study concluded.

It however added that rather than pointing to a single cause, “the surge in trade-ins likely reflects a combination of resale strategy, economic timing and changing upgrade habits”.