Buying a brand new smartphone can be fun, even exciting, but due to the ever-increasing prices, buying brand new may not be the best option. As an alternative, buying a gently used smartphone from a trusted marketplace is a great way to save money. Of course, once you decide to buy newish instead of new — you then start thinking about current prices, and how much the price may drop if you wait a bit longer.
Keep reading to learn more about the price drop history, and discover how much the iPhone XS Max is worth, and where you can find cheap iPhone XS Max deals. Or, check out our iPhone Buyer’s Guide if you are unsure of which iPhone you want to buy as your upgrade.
Will the Apple iPhone XS Max price drop in 2021?
The iPhone XS Max was originally released in September 2018, and it is one-third of the 12th generation iPhone lineup. The other two models that were released in September 2018 include the iPhone XS and the iPhone Xr. The iPhone XS Max was the larger “max” sized version of the iPhone XS, and the iPhone Xr was the lower-priced option of the bunch. The iPhone XS Max launched with an MSRP of $1,099, but if you are buying a newish iPhone XS Max in 2021 — you can expect to get a much better deal.
February 2021 | March 2021 | April 2021 | May 2021 | June 2021 | July 2021 | |
iPhone XS Max (64GB) | $441 | $445 | $445 | $434 | $421 | $422 |
iPhone XS Max (256GB) | $472 | $488 | $477 | $479 | $472 | $471 |
iPhone XS Max (512GB) | $529 | $543 | $547 | $548 | $543 | $509 |
The above table shows the average sale prices for a used iPhone XS Max sold in the Swappa marketplace.
Get a cheap iPhone XS Max
The value of any used smartphone drops over time, but the price may not always drop each month. In fact, there are times when the value may increase if you are looking from month to month. Using the 512GB iPhone XS Max as an example — the value increased from February 2021 to March 2021, and then again in April and May 2021. Of course, if you look over a 6-month period from February 2021 to July 2021, the average sale price for this model decreased by $20.
Overall, there are several factors that affect the price of a used smartphone. One of the factors is market demand. Prices may drop slightly if there is a large selection, and the price may increase slightly if there is not a large selection. The condition of the phone and the specs, such as the internal storage, should also be considered. A phone that is in good condition with higher internal storage will typically have a higher resale value.
The bottom line is that while the value will drop over time, it isn’t always a sure bet to wait and pay less or to sell now and get more.
Review the current iPhone XS Max price trends on Swappa.
When is the best time to buy an iPhone XS Max?
If you are buying to replace a broken or damaged phone — the perfect time to buy would be right now (because it isn’t any fun trying to use a broken or damaged phone). Plus, you will always spend less when you buy newish instead of new, so any time is really a good time to buy. Of course, market demand plays a key factor in used smartphone pricing. Sellers will sometimes plan their sale around the launch of a new iPhone, which means there may be more models available, and that could lead to better deals for buyers.
You can subscribe to get an email alert every time a new iPhone XS Max listing is added by clicking on the “Subscribe” button on the iPhone XS Max listing page, or find out why we feel the iPhone XS Max is worth it in 2021.
When is the best time to sell an iPhone XS Max?
As we’ve shown here in this post, the average sale price for used smartphones tends to drop over time — so the best time to sell a used iPhone XS Max is right now. If you wait too long, the value of your phone may decrease. But market demand also plays an important role. For sellers, it is often beneficial to time your sale around the release of a new iPhone because lots of people prefer to spend less by buying a year-old model instead of spending more to get the brand new model.
The sale price is going to be important to everyone, but for different reasons. Buyers want to pay less and get a great deal. Sellers want to get as much as possible because selling a gently used iPhone is a great way to fund an upgrade or to earn some extra cash.
Perhaps equally important is buying and selling from a trusted marketplace, such as Swappa. The Swappa marketplace is safe, secure, and easy to use, and this comes by way of mixing several key ingredients — the buyers and sellers, our policies, and the great folks that work at Swappa.
Here at Swappa, we believe we have the best buyers, which helps to attract quality sellers. And, Swappa’s “No Junk, No Jerks” policy helps to keep the junk and the jerks out of the marketplace. This means buyers and sellers are able to use Swappa knowing they will only be dealing with like-minded individuals. The Swappa support and moderation team…
- …is available 24/7/365 if you have any questions or concerns.
- …also keeps busy reviewing listings to make sure all devices meet our strict listing requirements.
We also realize that anyone can claim to offer a safe, secure, and easy-to-use marketplace, which is why we make sure to point out the Trustpilot reviews (where we currently have a rating of Excellent) being left by other Swappa users.
Snag the best deals on used iPhones wherever you go. Download the Swappa App today!