The iPhone Air trade-in offer has become a talking point after Apple began accepting the handset for credit this week, following the announcement of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo. The value on offer effectively erases the premium buyers pay for the model.
Apple normally waits until a successor to an iPhone arrives before accepting trade-ins. That is not the case here, as there is no iPhone Air 2 or iPhone 18 as yet. Newer models are expected early next year at the soonest.
Why Apple is accepting these trade-ins early
The company wants to give existing iPhone Air and iPhone 17 owners a route to upgrade to an iPhone 18 Pro or an iPhone Duo. For that reason, both handsets still being sold by Apple without newer versions are eligible for trade-in.
The iPhone 17 now starts at around £720 after a price increase this week, and Apple offers up to roughly £465 for it as a trade-in.
The iPhone Air trade-in shortfall
The iPhone Air also saw a price rise this week, taking its starting price to around £880. Despite that, the trade-in value on offer is the same figure of about £465 seen with the iPhone 17. In other words, the roughly £160 premium a customer pays for the iPhone Air over the iPhone 17 does not translate into any additional trade-in credit.
The identical trade-in figure is likely based on demand and the value of parts rather than the retail price of the device. That outcome is notable given the iPhone Air uses almost the same chip as the iPhone 17 Pro.
To recap, the iPhone Air’s price went up for new customers this week, yet its trade-in value, according to Apple, matches that of a handset costing around £160 less at retail.
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Image: 9to5mac.com
