iPhone 17 Pro Max Becomes Most Traded-In Smartphone

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The iPhone 17 Pro Max has been recorded as the most frequently traded-in smartphone on the second-hand phone market, despite having been released only a few months ago.

Citing MacRumors on Friday, the latest report from SellCell shows the iPhone 17 Pro Max accounts for 11.5 per cent of the top 20 devices most commonly entered into trade-in programmes.

The figure rose sharply from approximately 5.1 per cent at the end of November to 11.5 per cent in early February — more than doubling within roughly three months.

Some 86 per cent of traded-in units were in very good or good condition, indicating that many owners resold their phones not long after purchasing them.

By comparison, older models such as the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max each accounted for approximately 7.3 per cent of the trade-in market, whilst the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 13 stood at around 7.2 per cent. Overall, the top 20 models accounted for nearly half of all trade-in activity.

Typically, older phones dominate the trade-in market as they have larger user bases and owners feel it is time for an upgrade. It is therefore quite surprising that the relatively new iPhone 17 Pro Max has become the most frequently resold device.

In terms of pricing, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has depreciated by approximately 25.4 per cent since launch over a 145-day period. This decline is smaller than that of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which dropped around 32.5 per cent over a comparable period, meaning the latest model is considered better at retaining its resale value.

The average resale price for an iPhone 17 Pro Max in very good condition currently stands at around US$967.50 (Rp16.3 million). The report suggests the high level of trade-in activity is likely due to the still-elevated resale prices, prompting some users to sell their devices either to upgrade to a new phone or for financial reasons.