Apple's Foldable iPhone Could Lose Almost $1,300 in Value in First Year, Study Suggests

[Unregistered 4U]

SellCell notes Apple has historically outperformed competitors on resale value.

Yet decides to ignore their own data in order to make the headlines generated from their attention grabbing clickbait as attractive as possible.

 

[Royksöpp]

Can't wait for all of the "My inner screen is scratched" posts.

 

[vantelimus]

I agree for one single reason.

This is still going to be an iPhone.

The biggest issue for AVP, and there are many, is "what is this thing useful for?".

That is not an issue with an iPhone.

The AVP is the absolute best computer display for programming that I've ever used. It has been a huge productivity booster. It has more than paid for itself. Of course, it comes up short if you are looking for vast content libraries, RPGs, and FPS games.

 

[Nyx1]

Another flop for the last moment

 

[ececlv]

I work trade shows. I see foldable phones all the time. I dont get it, but they are super popular for certain demographics.

 

[krakenrelease]

Who will even buy this... what's the point? How can you justify the purchase?

It will make them look cool bruh

 

[CarAnalogy]

I suspect this phone is going to be like Apple Vision. It's a cool concept, but it would be hard for most folks to justify the cost. Sure...there are plenty of people who have a couple thousand just laying around. However, if this thing is going to priced where it's like getting an iPhone Pro Max and a iPad Pro together...that's just silly.

Not only that, we’ve seen this pattern before.

This first model is a test run, and it will likely be dropped from support entirely shockingly soon.

Maybe less so because it’s an iPhone, but think of all the first generation products Apple has released over the last decade.

If you get the first one, cool, enjoy it. But don’t expect it to be supported for more than a year or so.

 

[EugW]

It’s like buying a car; when you drive it off the lot it loses 50% of its value.

That hasn't been true for a long time, at least for mainstream cars in demand. One reason I bought a new Camry in 2025 was because used Camrys that were a couple of years old were only about 10-20% cheaper than brand new similarly spec'd 2025 models.

The Cybertruck is a completely different matter though. 😀

 

[lazyrighteye]

Depreciation metrics on a rumored device? New level unlocked.
Regardless, seems a really tricky metric to predict - Apple value tends to be higher than industry averages.

 

[120FPS]

Given the folding mechanism, I don't think anyone looking for a second-hand device is going to trust something with a short expiry date, unless Apple allows you to track how many times it's been opened and use that in listings. We shall see how resilient this new folding iPhone is.

 

[Astuces iOS]

It will make them look cool bruh

That's not a good reason... Many philosophers would agree !

 

[I am Sampson]

A few people have said it already.
It won’t be “this is a £2000 phone”

It will be “I’m already planning to spend £40 a month for a new iPhone, so this is only £20 a month extra for awesomeness”.

It will sell like crazy.

 

[kcwookie]

The only way the phone loses value is if you purchased it in the first place.

 

[kcwookie]

A few people have said it already.
It won’t be “this is a £2000 phone”

It will be “I’m already planning to spend £40 a month for a new iPhone, so this is only £20 a month extra for awesomeness”.

It will sell like crazy.

No, it will only sell to the crazy. Why do you want to spend 50% more per month?

 

[kcwookie]

yeah comparing a headset which last 2 hours and always need to be near a charger with a phone which can be used anywhere is such an stupid comparison

the foldable will be better in every use case aside from cameras compared to pro max. i think people will love it if they can get over the cost.

yeah comparing a headset which last 2 hours and always need to be near a charger with a phone which can be used anywhere is such an stupid comparison

the foldable will be better in every use case aside from cameras compared to pro max. i think people will love it if they can get over the cost.

I use mine about eight hours a day. I am sitting at a desk or sitting on a train. It was never designed to walk down the street. BTW, now that I have the headset, I don’t need a laptop.

 

[Kriss_De_Valnor]

Who will even buy this... what's the point? How can you justify the purchase?

Plenty of "look at me" attention seeking people who want to flash with a brand new flagship Apple phone. They believe it is a status symbol.

 

[derekamoss]

Water is wet lads. You heard it here first.

Actually water isn't wet. It makes things wet but isn't wet itself. Look it up.

 

[963852741]

Actually water isn't wet. It makes things wet but isn't wet itself. Look it up.

Everybody but you understood what it means.

 

[DBZmusicboy01]

It’s like buying a car; when you drive it off the lot it loses 50% of its value.

100% correct BEFORE 2020 tho
Right now it’s way more complicated 😬

 

[awer25]

Yet decides to ignore their own data in order to make the headlines generated from their attention grabbing clickbait as attractive as possible

It’s also so important to look at bias in the data source. As a company that buys these phones based on this depreciated value, SellCell directly benefits from higher depreciation. Thus their data here is just trying to push the market in their favor (hence ignoring the better comparisons they could have made, which you correctly pointed out).

This data shouldn’t be treated with any more credibility than an advertisement.

 

[artifex]

As an iPhone mini user who wishes he could setup an iPad as his "primary" device, this just gives me more incentive to wait another year. I like the idea of an iPhone mini that turns into an iPad mini, I just can't stomach paying double for the cost of owning two separate devices.

I've got a similar feeling, but from a different direction. I'd rather have an iPad mini with telephony fully enabled, using earbuds instead of a chassis microphone, etc.

 

[gnomeisland]

That's fair. I've felt that way too, but there are times when a phone is the right form factor. I just wish the phone was my '3rd device' not the iPad. So I resent that the phone is the nexus of the Apple ecosystem but if it has to be, the foldable as rumored is pretty compelling—aside from the price and the rumor that it won't run iPadOS. I'm interested to read about it when it is released, if the value plummets I may pick up a used one in a year.

I've got a similar feeling, but from a different direction. I'd rather have an iPad mini with telephony fully enabled, using earbuds instead of a chassis microphone, etc.

 

[I am Sampson]

No, it will only sell to the crazy. Why do you want to spend 50% more per month?

These concepts are not mutually exclusive.

 

[The Game 161]

Can't wait for all of the "My inner screen is scratched" posts.

and if they do get scratched thats 100% user error. no different to slab iphones which get scratched

 

[The Game 161]

Plenty of "look at me" attention seeking people who want to flash with a brand new flagship Apple phone. They believe it is a status symbol.

or just maybe people want a bigger screen at all times.