When Is the Best Time to Sell Your Phone?

The depreciation on flagship phones is steep and front-loaded. According to BuyBackBear's price-history tracking and industry resale data, flagship phones commonly lose 30 to 50 percent of their resale value within the first 12 months after a new model launches (source: BuyBackBear price-history tracking and industry resale data).

That drop does not happen gradually over the year. A meaningful share of it happens in a compressed window around the new model announcement, when buyers start anticipating an incoming wave of trade-ins and adjust their offers. The phone itself hasn't changed. The market has.

Mid-range and budget phones depreciate too, but more slowly and with smaller swings. The timing advice here matters most for flagships: the Galaxy S and Z series, iPhone Pro and Pro Max, and Google Pixel Pro models.

For most flagship phones, the best time to sell is in the weeks before the manufacturer announces the successor. This is usually the last period when trade-in values are at or near their peak for that model cycle.

Here are the predictable annual windows where values hold strongest:

• Apple iPhone: Apple typically announces new iPhones in September. Values on the previous generation hold well through July and August, then start falling once the announcement is made. Selling in August is almost always better than October for the same phone.
• Samsung Galaxy S series: Samsung typically holds its Galaxy Unpacked event in January or February. Samsung's own trade-in values adjust downward immediately after the announcement. S-series values are strongest in November and December, before announcement season.
• Google Pixel: Google typically announces Pixel phones in October. Values on the outgoing Pixel Pro are strongest in August and September.

These windows shift slightly each year, but the pattern is consistent. Carrier trade-in promotions often spike around launch season too, though they pay bill credits, not cash.

If you buy a flagship phone at launch and later decide it's not for you, or you want to upgrade to the next generation, the first six months is your strongest window to recoup most of what you paid.

A phone sold within the first 6 months of its release typically retains a much higher percentage of its original retail price than one sold 12 or 18 months later. After the first year, the curve flattens somewhat but still declines each quarter.

This does not mean you should rush to sell a phone you are still using. But if you know you will upgrade next year, it is worth planning: sell before the announcement window for your phone's brand, rather than after.

Avoid these timing traps:

• Right after a new model is announced. This is when buyback services revise their quotes most sharply downward. If you missed the pre-announcement window, it is sometimes worth waiting a few months until the initial wave of trade-ins passes and the market stabilizes.
• Holiday season and major sale events. Black Friday and back-to-school promotions flood the resale market with used phones. Supply spikes and buyer competition drops, which suppresses offers temporarily.
• When your phone has obvious damage. Cracked screens and malfunctioning cameras reduce trade-in value more than most sellers expect. If the repair cost is less than the value it recovers, fixing it first can pay off. Check our guide on selling a cracked or broken phone to see if selling as-is makes more sense.

Not all flagships depreciate at the same rate. Some patterns from BuyBackBear's market tracking:

• Apple iPhone: iPhone Pro models hold value better than almost any other phone category, in part because Apple supports them with software updates for 5 to 6 years. A two-year-old iPhone Pro still commands a meaningful trade-in offer.
• Samsung Galaxy S Ultra: The Ultra tier holds value reasonably well in the first year but tends to drop more steeply at the 12 to 18 month mark than comparable iPhones. The Galaxy Z Fold series is similar.
• Google Pixel Pro: Pixel flagships have improved in resale value over the last few generations as the brand has grown, but they still typically depreciate faster than comparable iPhones.

For all three brands, the timing advice is the same: sell before the announcement window, not after. Check how much your phone is worth right now to see where your specific model sits.

The fastest way to know if now is a good time to sell is to get an actual offer. Values change week to week based on what other buyers are paying, so a live quote tells you more than any estimate.

A few things to have ready before you request a quote:

• Your phone's exact model and storage size.
• An honest assessment of condition: screen, body, and battery health.
• Whether the phone is carrier-locked or unlocked.

Apple provides its own Apple Trade In tool as a reference point, but it pays store credit only, not cash. For a cash quote and a comparison of what multiple buyers will pay, get a live offer at BuyBackBear.