iPhone Air resale depreciation is now more than 40 per cent says Envirofone data

The iPhone Air is experiencing punishing depreciation in the UK secondary market, according to trade-in analysis from Envirofone’s resale database.

Envirofone’s data indicates that the iPhone Air is losing value more rapidly than any mainstream iPhone model at a comparable stage in its lifecycle, pointing to weaker-than-expected demand among second-hand buyers and professional refurbishers.

Depreciation Outpaces iPhone 17 

Ten weeks post-launch, depreciation across the iPhone Air range is already exceeding that of both its iPhone 17 siblings and recent-generation models.

Envirofone data shows:

• The 256GB iPhone Air has depreciated by approximately 40.3 per cent

• The 512GB variant has declined by 40.8 per cent

• The 1TB configuration, traditionally among the strongest for value retention, has fallen by 47.7 per cent

On average, the Air has lost around 44.3 per cent of its original value, leaving owners recovering less than 60p in the pound less than three months after purchase.

By comparison, iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models are holding value more effectively, with most configurations sitting in the 26–39 per cent depreciation range. Even the weakest-performing Pro Max SKUs have retained more value than the highest-capacity iPhone Air.

The resulting gap of nearly 10 percentage points on average highlights a notable divergence in secondary-market demand. 

“The iPhone Air is an impressive engineering achievement, but resale markets consistently prioritise practicality over novelty,” said Sam Hargreaves, director of Envirofone. “Ultra-thin designs tend to raise concerns around durability, battery longevity and repairability — all factors that refurbishers price into trade-in values early. From a circular-economy standpoint, devices that are robust and easy to repair continue to outperform on resale.”

 Historical iPhone 

At similar lifecycle stages, previous iPhone generations have shown materially stronger value retention:

• iPhone 15 series: ~32 per cent depreciation

• iPhone 16 range: ~39 per cent

• iPhone 14 models: ~36 per cent

Envirofone’s data suggests the Air’s underperformance is model-specific rather than reflective of broader market conditions.

Implications for the Channel

Industry observers cite several contributing factors, including perceived durability trade-offs associated with ultra-thin designs, muted launch demand, and price proximity to higher-spec models, such as the iPhone 17 Pro.

For refurbishers and trade-in operators, the data highlights the importance of establishing early pricing discipline for new form-factor devices, particularly where repairability and long-term residual values are uncertain.