Most people underestimate how much their old iPhone is worth, but online sources often exaggerate its value.
The issue is that most websites with an "iPhone resale value chart" simply make up the numbers. You cannot verify them, and the sites rarely share their sources. They often show higher values to attract more visitors.
This guide takes a different approach. It lists the actual launch prices for each iPhone model in India and explains how to compare any resale quote as a percentage of that price. These launch prices are public, fixed, and always relevant.
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Just so you know, Cashkr is our own buyback service and one of the options for selling your phone. We have not published a resale price table because it would not be accurate.
Why We Will Not Give You a Price Chart
It's important to explain this, since you are looking for specific numbers.
A used iPhone's price moves weekly. It depends on the exact model, the storage variant, the battery health, the condition of that specific unit, and what any given buyer needs in stock that week. A table cannot hold all of that, and the ones you will find are usually a single invented range per model, dressed up with a percentage.
You can quickly test any resale chart. Find the model's launch price from the table below, then look at the chart's resale range. Calculate the real percentage drop andcompare it to what the chart claims. Usually, the numbers do not match because no one double-checked them.
The information below passes this test, since every number comes from an official launch price.
What Each iPhone Cost New in India
Here are the launch prices announced in India. Look for your iPhone model and storage option.
iPhone 16 Series - September 2024
Model
128GB
256GB
512GB
1TB
iPhone 16
₹79,900
₹89,900
₹1,09,900
Not offered
iPhone 16 Plus
₹89,900
₹99,900
₹1,19,900
Not offered
iPhone 16 Pro
₹1,19,900
₹1,29,900
₹1,49,900
₹1,69,900
iPhone 16 Pro Max
Not offered
₹1,44,900
₹1,64,900
₹1,84,900
iPhone 15 Series - September 2023
Model
128GB
256GB
512GB
1TB
iPhone 15
₹79,900
₹89,900
₹1,09,900
Not offered
iPhone 15 Plus
₹89,900
₹99,900
₹1,19,900
Not offered
iPhone 15 Pro
₹1,34,900
₹1,44,900
₹1,64,900
₹1,84,900
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Not offered
₹1,59,900
₹1,79,900
₹1,99,900
iPhone 14 Series - September 2022
Model
128GB
256GB
512GB
1TB
iPhone 14
₹79,900
₹89,900
₹1,09,900
Not offered
iPhone 14 Plus
₹89,900
₹99,900
₹1,19,900
Not offered
iPhone 14 Pro
₹1,29,900
₹1,39,900
₹1,59,900
₹1,79,900
iPhone 14 Pro Max
₹1,39,900
₹1,49,900
₹1,69,900
₹1,89,900
iPhone 13 Series - September 2021
Model
128GB
256GB
512GB
1TB
iPhone 13 mini
₹69,900
₹79,900
₹99,900
Not offered
iPhone 13
₹79,900
₹89,900
₹1,09,900
Not offered
iPhone 13 Pro
₹1,19,900
₹1,29,900
₹1,49,900
₹1,69,900
iPhone 13 Pro Max
₹1,29,900
₹1,39,900
₹1,59,900
₹1,79,900
If you bought your iPhone at a discount or during a sale, use the price you actually paid. Many iPhones in India sell for less than the list price during festive seasons, so your real cost is what counts.
How to Judge Any Quote You Are Given
Three steps, and it takes a minute.
1. Find your launch price above, for your exact model and storage.
2. Divide the quote by that number. A quote of Rs. 45,000 on an iPhone 14 that cost Rs. 79,900 is 56 percent retained, so a 44 percent drop.
3. Compare that against how old the phone is. The section below gives you the shape of the curve.
Doing this converts an unfamiliar rupee figure into something you can reason about. It also makes two quotes from different services directly comparable even when they describe condition differently.
The Shape of the Curve
You should know how quickly iPhones lose value before the percentages make sense.
SellCell tracks used prices and publishes the value lost per model across the first twelve months:
iPhone Model
Resale Value (%)
iPhone 11
43.8%
iPhone 12
43.8%
iPhone 13
46.2%
iPhone 14
47.7%
iPhone 15
48.2%
These numbers are from the United States, so the exact percentages do not apply to India. However, the overall trend is similar, and that is what matters.
Nearly half the value is lost in the first year. This is the key point: if a two-year-old iPhone is quoted at less than half its launch price, it is not a bad offer-it is just how the market works.
The biggest drop happens right after launch. For example, the iPhone 16 lost 41.2 percent of its value within just two weeks.
Another trend you will notice in the table: 43.8, 43.8, 46.2, 47.7, 48.2. Each new iPhone generation holds a bit less value than the previous one. iPhones still keep their value better than Android flagships recent Galaxy S models lost 61 to 67 percent in a year but the gap is getting smaller. We cover this in our Android vs. iPhone resale value comparison.
Why iPhones Hold Value, and the Reason Everyone Gets Wrong
You will read that it is because Apple supports iPhones longest. That does not survive checking.
Apple has formally committed to a minimum of five years of security updates from a phone's first supply date. Samsung and Google both promise seven years on their recent flagships. On paper Apple promises less.
The real reason iPhones keep their value is strong demand. In India, there are many consistent buyers for used iPhones, since the second-hand market is often the only way for some people to own one. This steady demand keeps prices high, no matter what the support policy is.
There are two more reasons. Apple releases only one generation each year, so every model has a clear used price. Also, names like "iPhone 15 Pro" are easy for buyers to understand, while Android phones have more confusing names across many brands.
What Moves Your Number, in Order
Battery health comes first, because it is the first thing any inspection checks. Settings, Battery, Battery Health and Charging. Read the Maximum Capacity figure.
Apple rates the iPhone 15 and later to retain 80 percent of capacity at 1,000 complete charge cycles, and the iPhone 14 and earlier at 500 cycles. Eighty percent is also where iOS starts showing a service message, and below it a battery replacement gets priced into any offer.
Check your battery health before asking for a quote. While it will not change the offer, it helps prevent surprises later.
Next is the phone's condition, which you can control. Remove the case and screen protector, stand by a window, and check the screen while it is off. Scratches are easier to see on a black screen and often hidden when the screen is on. This simple check helps most people judge their phone's condition more accurately.
Activation Lock is also important. If your Apple account is still signed in, no one can set up the phone not a buyer, a buyback service, or even Apple during a trade-in. A locked iPhone is worth much less, and this is the most common reason sales fall through. The checklist below explains how to fix this quickly.
Storage is less important than you might think. We checked current listings and found that the price difference between a 128GB and a 256GB iPhone 13 is only about Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 2,000. Sometimes, 256GB models even sell for less than 128GB ones. For used phones, condition matters much more than storage size. The box and the bill help a little. Not enough to buy replacements for.
Timing: What Actually Helps, and One Thing That Does Not
Sell before the next iPhone is announced, not after. The steepest fall happens at launch, and Apple's event is reliably in September. If you have decided to upgrade, the weeks before the announcement are the best window you will get.
If you missed the best window, selling now is still better than waiting. Prices only go down over time.
Let us correct a common belief about the festive season, which we have also mentioned before.
Selling into Diwali is usually not the better choice for a seller. Counterpoint expects India's festive smartphone volumes down about 12 percent year on year in 2026, and because memory costs have left brands no room for deep discounts, they are leaning on trade-in offers instead. Counterpoint's own forecast is that the second hand market grows as older phones re-enter the trade-in channel.
Trade-in promotions increase the supply of used phones. When many handsets enter the market at once, it does not help sellers get better prices. It is better to sell before this rush. Our guide on when to sell your phone explains the best timing.
One Thing That Will Not Help: Repairing It First
This goes against common advice, so here is why.
An authorised screen repair usually costs more than it adds to the quote. A cheaper third-party repair is worse, because a non-genuine part triggers an "Unknown Part" or service message in Settings that cannot be cleared. A buyer looking at a crack knows exactly what is wrong. A buyer looking at a parts warning does not know what else was opened up, and uncertainty prices worse than visible damage.
It is better to sell your phone as it is and be honest about any damage. The only exception is a swelling battery-if the screen is lifting or the phone will not lie flat, fix it for safety reasons, no matter what. Our guide on repairing or selling a broken phone explains the details.
Before Your iPhone Leaves Your Hands
Follow these steps in order. Doing them correctly is important for completing the sale.
Back up to iCloud or a computer, and check the backup worked.
Move your authenticator app to your new phone if you use one for login codes.
Sign out of your Apple account. Settings, your name, scroll down, Sign Out. Enter your password. This is what clears Activation Lock.
Remove the SIM and any eSIM profile.
Then erase. Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPhone, Erase All Content and Settings.
You must sign out before erasing your iPhone. If you erase it while still signed in, the phone will stay locked to your account until you sign out remotely. If the phone is already gone, you can do this at appleid.apple.com under Devices.
Erasing your iPhone is enough. The phone encrypts its storage, so erasing it destroys the encryption key and makes the data unreadable. You do not need to delete photos first or use special wiping software. Be careful if someone claims a factory reset can be reversed.
Where to Sell It
Get quotes from more than one place. It only takes a few minutes and is the best way to know if an offer is fair.
A cash buyback puts money directly into your bank account with no purchase needed. Apple Trade In gives you instant credit toward a new Apple product, but this only makes sense if you plan to buy from Apple. Amazon and Flipkart exchanges reduce the price of a purchase on their sites. Selling through classifieds usually pays the most, but it takes more time and comes with payment risks.
It depends on the model, the storage, the battery health and the condition of your specific unit, which is why an honest answer is a quote rather than a chart. The useful method is to find your launch price in the tables above, divide any quote you are offered by it, and judge the resulting percentage against the age of the phone. Published tracking shows recent iPhones losing close to half their value in the first twelve months.
2. Why will you not publish an iPhone resale price chart?
Because we would have to invent it. Used prices move weekly and depend on the individual device. Try this on any chart you find: take the launch price, work out the percentage drop its resale range implies, and compare it with the percentage the chart claims. They usually do not match.
3. How much value does an iPhone lose in the first year?
Tracked United States figures put recent iPhones at 43.8 to 48.2 percent lost over twelve months, and the iPhone 16 had lost 41.2 percent within two weeks of launch. The percentages do not transfer directly to India but the shape does: most of the fall happens early.
4. Do iPhones hold value better than Android phones?
Yes, though by less than they used to. Over the same twelve months, recent Galaxy S models lost 61 to 67 percent against the iPhone's 44 to 48. Read the iPhone figures in order, though, and each generation holds slightly less than the last.
5. Is it true that Apple supports iPhones longer than anyone else?
No, and this is the most common mistake in these comparisons. Apple's formal commitment is a minimum of five years of security updates. Samsung and Google both promise seven on recent flagships. What holds iPhone prices up is the depth of used iPhone demand, not the support window.
6. How does battery health affect my iPhone's price?
It is the first thing an inspection checks. Apple rates the iPhone 15 and later at 1,000 charge cycles to 80 percent capacity, and the iPhone 14 and earlier at 500. Below 80 percent iOS shows a service message and a replacement gets priced into the offer. Check yours at Settings, Battery, Battery Health and Charging before asking for a quote.
7. What happens if I forget to sign out of my Apple account?
The iPhone stays locked to you and nobody else can set it up, including Apple on a trade-in. It is the most common reason a sale or trade-in fails, and the phone is usually in perfect condition when it happens. If it has already gone, sign out remotely at appleid.apple.com under Devices.
8. Is a 256GB iPhone worth much more than a 128GB second hand?
Less than you would think. We checked live listings and found the real gap on an iPhone 13 at roughly Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 2,000, with some 256GB units priced below 128GB ones of the same model. Condition matters more than capacity on an older phone.
9. Should I repair a cracked screen before selling?
Usually not. An authorised repair rarely costs less than it adds, and a cheaper third-party repair leaves an "Unknown Part" message in Settings that cannot be cleared, which can make the phone worth less than it was cracked. Fix a swelling battery regardless, because that is a safety matter.
10. Is the festive season a good time to sell?
Usually not, despite what you will read. Counterpoint expects festive 2026 volumes down about 12 percent year on year, with brands pushing trade-in offers because they have no room for discounts. That brings a wave of used handsets into the market at once, and more supply does not help a seller. Sell before the September announcement instead.
11. Can I sell an iPhone that is still on EMI?
Clear the outstanding amount or speak to your lender first. If the device is still financed you may not own it outright, and selling it could create a problem with the lender. This is worth checking rather than assuming.
12. Can I sell an iPhone that will not switch on?
Yes, at a lower price, because the working parts still have value. Say clearly that it does not power on when you get the quote so the figure reflects it from the start, and remove the device from your Apple account at appleid.apple.com since you cannot do it on the phone.
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Yaskar Jung ShahPublished at: Mar 23, 2026·17 min read
