Methodology

Prices checked 2 Nov 2026. 35 iPhone models, 40 countries.

New iPhone prices

Taken from each country's Apple Store, unlocked, by storage size. For the United States we use the unlocked price, which is about US$30 higher than the carrier-activated price.

What your old iPhone sells for

We show two groups of prices.

• Apple Trade In. Apple's own "up to" value for a phone in good condition, paid as credit toward a new iPhone. It is one figure per model, with no split by storage. Apple lowers the offer for wear or damage. We update these by hand from each country's Apple Trade In page.
• Local second-hand market. Buyback quotes published by local shops and services, and where available, prices from second-hand marketplaces. We label each one as a shop quote, sold prices (completed sales) or asking prices (listings). Asking prices below the best shop quote for the same phone are dropped as noise.

Sell it yourself (estimate). Where a country has shop quotes but no sold-price data, we estimate a private sale at the best local shop quote plus 15 to 30%, and at least 2 to 4% of the local iPhone 18 Pro price, because cheap phones sell for a much larger share above the shop quote. We set that from every cell where both numbers exist: in Hong Kong, DCFever asking prices ran a median 22% above the best shop quote, and in South Korea, completed sales on Cetizen ran a median 31% above Mintit's quote (checked 25 Sep 2026). It is always shown as an estimate.

Local second-hand (estimate). Some countries have no local second-hand source we can collect yet. For those we estimate one. In every country with real shop or sold prices, we take the best price for each model and storage as a share of that country's cheapest iPhone 18 Pro. Where at least three countries give a share, the estimate runs from the 10th to the 90th percentile of those shares, multiplied by the local iPhone 18 Pro price. We tested this by hiding each country with real data in turn and estimating it from the others: the typical error was about 14%, and the real price fell inside the range about 73% of the time. Some countries run consistently higher or lower than the estimate, so treat it as a guide. It is labelled an estimate everywhere and is replaced as soon as a real local source is added.

Sources by country

Total damage

Total damage = new iPhone price − what your current iPhone sells for. The best case uses the highest price we have for your phone, the worst case the lowest. Per month and per day divide that by how long you plan to keep the new phone. If you pick "scuffed" or "cracked", sources that only quote a good-condition price are shown but left out of the total, unless they are the only source.

The verdict

The verdict adds and subtracts points. These are the rules as they run today:

• No longer gets iOS updates: strong push to upgrade.
• Age: 5+ years adds more than 3 to 4 years. 1 year or less counts against upgrading.
• Rated video playback 12+ hours longer on the new phone counts for it. 4 hours or less counts against.
• Battery health under 80% counts for upgrading, but if the phone still gets iOS updates and is 4 years old or less, we point out that a battery replacement is the cheaper fix.
• No Apple Intelligence counts for upgrading, more if you said you want the new Siri.
• What bothers you (battery, speed, camera, storage, cracked screen) adds points. "Nothing really" counts strongly against.
• If your phone still sells for 40% or more of the new one's price, that counts for upgrading now.

The result is shown as UPGRADE, MAYBE or KEEP IT on a five-step scale. It is a guide based on public specs and prices, not advice about your finances.

Specs

From Apple's compare and tech spec pages. Video playback hours use Apple's US figures; some regions list 1 to 2 hours less for the same model. iOS 27 runs on iPhone 11 and later. Apple Intelligence needs iPhone 15 Pro or later.

iPad

New iPad prices come from each country's Apple Store, by storage, for Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular separately. iPad Pro prices are for standard glass; nano-texture glass is left out.

Apple Trade In does not publish a value for each iPad model. Its trade-in page shows one "up to" figure per family (iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad, iPad mini) and does not say which models get it. We show that figure and leave it out of the upgrade cost.

The upgrade cost for an iPad uses local shop quotes only, matched to your storage and to Wi-Fi or Cellular. Shops price Cellular models differently from Wi-Fi, sometimes higher and sometimes lower, so we never work one out from the other. We do not estimate iPad prices for countries without a local source; the tool says there is no data yet.

The iPad verdict follows the iPhone one with iPad rules. An iPad that stopped at an older iPadOS is a strong push to upgrade. One that stops at iPadOS 26 this year is a smaller push: it misses this year's features, and apps will drop support for it over time. Age counts from 4 years and more from 6, because iPads are usually kept longer than phones. Wanting Apple Intelligence or the Apple Pencil Pro counts only when your iPad lacks it and the new one has it. If the new iPad lacks something yours has, the result says so and it counts against upgrading. Apple Intelligence on iPad needs an M1 chip or later, or the iPad mini (A17 Pro). The iPad (A16) does not run it.

AirPods

New AirPods prices come from each country's Apple Store. Apple's trade-in pages for the US, UK, Hong Kong and Japan list AirPods for recycling only, with no credit; we have not checked the other countries' pages. The upgrade cost uses local shop quotes for a complete pair with its case. Listings for a single earbud or a case on its own are left out.

The AirPods verdict counts age most, because the batteries hold less charge over time and you cannot replace them yourself: 3 years adds a little, 4 more, 5 or more a lot. Wanting noise cancelling, Apple's hearing features (AirPods Pro 2 and Pro 3 only) or Live Translation counts only when your pair lacks it and the new one has it. A faulty pair that is 2 years old or less points to a repair first. There is no battery-health reading for AirPods, so the tool does not ask for one.

Apple Watch

New Apple Watch prices come from each country's Apple Store: the price of the case with Apple's cheapest band, by case size, GPS or GPS + Cellular. We cover aluminium Series and SE models and every Ultra; stainless steel, titanium Series, ceramic and Hermès cases are not covered yet. Apple Watch Ultra is sold with cellular only.

Apple Trade In lists "up to" values for a few recent watches only. Where it does, we show them like the iPhone values. Local shop quotes are for the watch case, matched to your case size and to GPS or cellular, and usually without a band.

The verdict follows the iPad rules: a watch that stopped at watchOS 10 is a strong push to upgrade, one that stops at watchOS 26 this year a smaller one; age counts from 3 years and more from 5; wanting more health features counts only when the new watch adds ECG, Blood Oxygen, wrist temperature, sleep apnea or hypertension notifications that yours lacks. Some of these need clearance in your country; Apple lists where on its watchOS feature availability page.

Mac

We cover MacBooks: MacBook Neo, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Apple silicon, plus the two Intel MacBook Pro models that reached macOS 26. New prices are Apple's standard configurations in each country's Apple Store, with the standard display.

Shops price a MacBook by its memory and SSD, so the tool asks for both. A quote is used only for your configuration or a smaller one, never for a bigger one. Apple Trade In shows one "up to" figure per family (MacBook Air, MacBook Pro) and does not say which models get it; we show it and leave it out of the upgrade cost.

The verdict: an Intel Mac that stops at macOS 26 is a strong push to upgrade, because macOS 27 runs only on Apple silicon and Apple Intelligence needs it. Age counts from 4 years and more from 6, because Apple silicon Macs stay fast for longer. A slow Mac with 8GB of memory counts for upgrading. A battery below 80% on a supported MacBook points to Apple's battery service first.

Known gaps

• Countries without local second-hand sources show Apple Trade In only.
• Singapore's Apple Trade In page shows no values.
• Resale prices change every week. Get a real quote before you sell.