The iPhone Air has reportedly recorded the sharpest early decline in resale value of any recent iPhone, with several variants losing almost half their worth within ten weeks of release.
Fresh figures from a SellCell report reveal an unusually wide gap in performance between the new Air line and Apple’s main iPhone 17 range.
Ten-week analysis highlights stark divide
SellCell examined real-time trade-in prices from more than forty United States buyback firms, comparing what each model fetches after launch with its original retail price. All devices included in the study were assessed in good condition to maintain consistency.
The findings show that the overall iPhone 17 family has depreciated by an average of 34.6% in its first ten weeks on the market. This is a stronger showing than the iPhone 16 line recorded at the same stage last year, which had fallen by 39%. The best historical performer remains the iPhone 15 generation, which depreciated by 31.9% during the equivalent period.
iPhone Air falls far behind other models
The iPhone Air has fared considerably worse, posting an average decline of 44.3% across its storage options. Reportedly, individual configurations range from 40.3% to 47.7%, putting the Air close to the weakest resale performance seen since the iPhone 14 Plus and some iPhone 13 mini variants in 2022. The most significant drop is linked to the 1TB iPhone Air, which SellCell reports as the lowest-ranked model in the entire dataset.
Pro models retain value, Air sits at the bottom
SellCell’s breakdown by model highlights a clear split between the premium Pro segment and the Air. The 256GB iPhone 17 Pro Max holds the top spot, with a depreciation of 26.1% after ten weeks, followed by the 512GB Pro Max at 30.3%. Every Pro and Pro Max variant remains below the 40% mark, reflecting continued interest among second-hand buyers. The standard iPhone 17 sits between 32.9 and 40.8%, a result that aligns with recent non-Pro generations.
Taken together, the iPhone 17 range keeps 9.7% more of its value compared with the Air over the ten-week timeframe.
Continued decline signals market uncertainty
The iPhone Air occupies every position at the bottom of SellCell’s ten-week rankings. While depreciation for the iPhone 17 family appears to stabilise by week ten, a pattern similar to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 lines, the Air continues sliding. SellCell notes that this ongoing fall may point to buyer hesitation in the resale market.