There’s no doubt that the iPhone 17 is the best iPhone of the year . However, while Apple may be happy with the success of its base model, the mood is not the same for the iPhone Air. This model seems to be facing serious difficulties—not only on store shelves but also in the second-hand market.
A recent analysis by SellCell has provided clear data to support what many already suspected: the device is losing its value at an alarming rate.
iPhone Air Loses Value Faster Than Other Models
After tracking trade-in prices from more than 40 buyback companies in the United States over a ten-week period, the data shows that this slim model is depreciating much faster than any other phone in the current generation.
The numbers are striking, especially for higher storage configurations. The base 256 GB model, which launched at $999, is now selling for about 40.3% less in the used market. The situation is even worse for the 1 TB version. That model, originally priced at $1,399, is now valued at around $668 on resale platforms—representing a 47.7% drop in less than three months.
The Pro Line Holds Its Value Better Than the iPhone Air
This negative trend for the iPhone Air is reminiscent of last year’s iPhone 16 Plus. During the same ten-week window, that model lost 41.6% of its value, showing a similar depreciation rate to the current Air. This suggests that models outside the standard or premium Pro line face more volatility and less demand in the resale market.
In contrast, the rest of the iPhone 17 family is performing much better in terms of value retention, even surpassing previous generations. The average depreciation for the series (excluding the Air) stands at 34.6%. The clear winner is the iPhone 17 Pro Max with 256 GB of storage, which has proven to be the safest investment—losing only 26.1% of its original price. Meanwhile, both the iPhone 17 Pro and the standard model remain steady with value drops of 32% and 33%, respectively.
