Apple just dropped iPhone trade-in values: What you'll get now

iPhone XR vs iPhone XS vs iPhone XS Max
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

A new year means new trade-in values for your aging iPhone at Apple. And with Apple adjusting what it credits for older hardware, don't expect as much return on your iPhone trade-in as what you might have gotten a week ago.

MacRumors first noticed the new estimated trade-in values for iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watches on the website for the Apple Trade In program. For the iPhone, trade-in values have dropped anywhere from $20 for older iPhones to $100. The iPhone XS Max has seen the steepest decline, with Apple now offering up to $500 for the 2018 model; previously, you could get up to $600 for an iPhone XS Max in top condition.

We've confirmed the rebate changes using a cached version of Apple's trade-in page from Jan. 8. 

Apple has encouraged customers in recent years to return older or outdated hardware to the company, so that it can either be refurbished or that its parts can be recycled as part of Apple's efforts to lessen tech's environmental impact. You can apply that trade-in credit to your next Apple purchase or receive it in the form of an Apple Gift Card that you can use at any time.

The new trade-in values also impact how much you can lower the cost of a new iPhone purchase when you return an old iPhone to Apple. Currently, trade-ins can reduce the cost of an iPhone 11 to $449 from $699 and an iPhone 11 Pro to $679 from $999. When we checked those prices a week ago, trade-ins lowered the cost of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro to $399 and $599, respectively.

Here's what the new maximum trade-in value you can get from Apple for an assortment of iPhone models.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
iPhone ModelOld Trade-In ValueNew Trade-In Value
iPhone XS Max$600$500
iPhone XS$500$420
iPhone XR$370$300
iPhone X$400$320
iPhone 8$220$170
iPhone 8 Plus$300$250
iPhone 7$150$120
iPhone 7 Plus$200$150
iPhone 6s$100$80
iPhone 6s Plus$120$100

The iPhone isn't the only Apple product seeing an adjustment for its trade-in value with the company. iPad trade-in rates have dropped between $20 and $70 depending on which model, while Mac trade-in values have fallen from $10 for the MacBook Air to $90 for the iMac Pro. Apple Watch trade-in values are relatively unaffected, though you'll now only get $100 back for an Apple Watch Series 4 instead of $110.

Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.

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