iPhone 15 Depreciates Less than iPhone 14 Post-Launch & Wipes the Floor with Google Pixel 8's Resale Value

The iPhone 15-series has lost 28.8% of its value across the range, on average, which is better than the iPhone 14, but not quite as good as the iPhone 13.
The iPhone 15 has held 5% more of its value in the month following launch than the iPhone 14 did in the same time period.
The iPhone 15 holds its value 35% more than the Google Pixel 8 has in the weeks following launch.
Apple’s iPhone 13 still holds the crown as the best value retainer, losing only 18.7% of its value in the month following its launch in 2021.

So, the dust has finally settled on the iPhone 15 release in September 2023. So what of the iPhone 15 value? The new smartphones are now in the hands of consumers, so their value will have seen a drop already. This is the case for almost all new smartphones to market. The second any handset reaches its new owner, it loses value. Apple’s iPhone is not immune to this phenomenon.

We can see this is the case; SellCell reported as much when the iPhone 14 launched. The device didn’t live up to expectations, with its value dropping sharply immediately after launching. Fair to say, though, that nothing has come close to the record-breaking value retainer that is the iPhone 13-series. Across the range, that only dropped by 18.7% in the month following its 2021 launch.

SellCell has accessed buyback value data from over 40 independent buyback vendors. The statistics show the depreciation figures for the newly released iPhone 15. SellCell has compared the data for the iPhone 15 to that of the iPhone 14 and 13-series handsets. This way, we can see how the new handset stacks up in terms of value retention.

SellCell has also analysed these figures in comparison to the Google Pixel 8, in order to illustrate how other brand new smartphones fare against the iPhone 15. Given that the iPhone is generally the undisputed champion of value retention, we can probably hazard a guess about where this is going for the Pixel 8-series.

So, what fate lies in store for the iPhone 15 and its value? Well, it is faring better than the iPhone 14 did, but not as well as the iPhone 13. It is also beating the Pixel 8 (quelle surprise). Let’s look at the details…

Key Findings

NB: All results are based on the resale value of iPhone 15 handsets in “mint” condition.

Across the range, the iPhone 15 has lost an average of 28.8% of its value in the month since launch. This equates to a average cash value of $338.08.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max 256GB handset is the best-performing in terms of value retention. It has lost only 18.8% of its value since launch.
The worst performing handset is the iPhone 15 Pro 1TB, which has lost over a third (38.8%) of its value since it was launched in September ’23.
In the month following its 2022 launch, the iPhone 14-series lost 33.1% of its value, on average across the range. This means the iPhone 15 series has a 4.3% lead on the iPhone 14 range one month after launch.
Following its 2021 release, the iPhone 13 lost a mere 18.7% of its value in a month. This means it held 10.1% more of its value than the iPhone 15 has in the same timeframe.
The iPhone 15’s best value-retaining handset (iPhone 15 Pro Max 256GB, 18.8% depreciation), has lost 2.4% less than the iPhone 14’s best performing handset in 2022 (iPhone 14 Pro Max 128GB, 21.2%) and lost 12.5% more than the iPhone 13’s best performing handset (iPhone 13 Pro Max 128GB, 6.3%).
The iPhone 15 series knocks spots off the Google Pixel 8 range. The Pixel 8 range has lost 63.7% of its value, on average, versus the iPhone 15’s 29.4% average in depreciation 10 days post-launch.
The best Pixel 8 for depreciation is Pixel 8 128GB model. However, this has depreciated by 61.4% of its MSRP in the 10 days post-launch.

Summary

SellCell has compared the iPhone 15 depreciation to that of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 13, both within the month following their respective launch. It has also compared the iPhone 15 to the Google Pixel 8 10 days after launch.

iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 Ranges

iPhone 15 values a month after launch (all models) — iPhone 15 depreciation values after 1 month

As the table above shows, the iPhone 15 range has lost an average of 28.8% of its value across all handsets.
The best performing handset, the iPhone 15 Pro Max 256 GB model, has lost only 18.8% of its MSRP. This is $225.00 in cash terms.
The second best performing handset is the iPhone 15 256GB model, which has lost 23.0%. This is the equivalent of $207 cash.
The worst performing handset is the iPhone 15 Pro 1TB, which has lost 38.8%. This means it has depreciated by a whopping $582.00 of its $1,499.00 MSRP.
It would seem that the flagship model with the lowest storage capacity is the most in-demand handset of the iPhone 15 series, which is why it has retained most of its value. This suggests that most buyers are more concerned about flagship features and less concerned about on-device storage space.

2022 iPhone 14 depreciation values after 1 month

Comparing the iPhone 14 series, we can see it depreciated by an average of 33.1% in the month following its launch. This means it lost an average of $382.36 during that time.
Against the iPhone 15, we see the new handsets performing better, retaining an average of 4.3% more than the iPhone 14 did.

2021 iPhone 13 depreciation values after 1 month

Looking at the 2021 iPhone 13 range of handsets, we can see that, on average, it only lost 18.7% of its value in the first month. This is by far the best performing iPhone range since Apple first launched the original iPhone, and nothing has managed to beat it since.
Compared to the iPhone 15, the iPhone 13 has, on average across all handsets in the range, performed better. It held 10.1% more of its value than the iPhone 15 has in the month since Apple launched it.

iPhone 15 vs. Google Pixel 8

Things get a little less rosy (but not for Apple) when we compare the iPhone 15 to the Google Pixel 8 series of handsets. Google released the Pixel 8 on October 12th 2023. SellCell has compared depreciation during the 10 days post-launch of each handset.

iphone 15 value 10 days after launch — 2023 iPhone 15 depreciation values after 10 days

2023 Google Pixel 8 depreciation values after 10 days

iPhone 15 value vs. the pixel 8 — iPhone 15 vs. Google Pixel 8 depreciation after 10 days

Looking at the iPhone 15 vs the Pixel 8, we can see how poorly the new Google handset is performing. It has lost more than double the value of the iPhone 15 in ten days following launch.
The Google Pixel 8 has lost, on average, 63.7% of its value. This is equal to $650.67 in cash.
This proves that nothing comes close to the iPhone in terms of depreciation. The iPhone 15 has massively outperformed the Pixel 8 series, retaining significantly more value than Google’s handset.

iPhone 15 Value: Apple Reigns Supreme

So, the iPhone 15 is—unsurprisingly—putting in quite the performance. With depreciation only at 28.8% across the entire range of handsets, Apple’s new series of smartphones holds a powerful position in the market. With Android smartphone coming nowhere near the MSRP retention of the iPhone 15, it doesn’t look like Apple will be giving up its top spot just yet (if it ever does at all.

If you have a smartphone you are looking to trade in, then SellCell’s advice is to do it now (or at least sooner rather than later). Smartphones lose value literally by the minute, so employing a smartphone trade-in comparison service like SellCell—with over 40 trusted buyback vendors—you can ensure you make the most profit and get the best price available for your old device.

Methodology

SellCell has analysed smartphone resale values for the iPhone 15, iPhone 14, iPhone 13, and also the Google Pixel 8. It has compared this data in order to ascertain which iPhone model has held value the best, and whether the iPhone 15 competes against the iPhone 14, iPhone 13, and Google Pixel 8 for value retention.