Apple trims estimated payments for iPhone trade-ins

Apple has updated its trade-in program webpage with new estimated payment values for a customer's iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and other products, a change indicating consumers will receive less for their trade-ins now than one week ago.

The Apple Trade-In program encourages customers to hand in their older iPhones, iPads, and other Apple products, in exchange for credit towards the cost of a new device. The program gives customers a way to gain value from their old models, by using them to reduce what needs to be paid for newer models.

Spotted by BGR, Apple has recently updated the trade-in site to alter the "estimated trade-in value" for a number of products. Research by AppleInsider indicates the change took place overnight on January 9, with the updated values offered from January 10.

Estimated trade-in values for iPhones from January 9 (left), January 10 (right)

The main changes relate to iPhone values, with the biggest drop occurring for the iPhone XS Max, which went from $600 to $500. The iPhone XS moved from an estimate of up to $500 to one of up to $420, and the iPhone XR from $370 to $300. On the other end of the scale, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus both were cut by $20, dropping to $80 and $100 respectively.

Changes were also made to the iPad listings, with iPad Pro owners now receiving "up to $220" for their device, down from $290. The iPad, iPad Air, and iPad mini also see reductions to their estimates, bringing them to $100, $70, and $80 respectively.

Few changes were made to Macs, with the MacBook Air seeing a drop of just $10, the MacBook by $20, the iMac by $60, and the iMac Pro by $90 to a new estimated trade-in value of $4,150. The Mac Pro and Mac mini remain at $1,700 and $230 each.

In the Apple Watch list, the Apple Watch Series 4 was the only model to be reduced, down $10 to $100, with all other models maintaining their values.

Apple's Trade-In program is one of a number of different avenues for consumers to gain value from their old devices. Depending on the outlet, it is possible to secure higher values via a third-party than from Apple directly.

AppleInsider's Price Guide lists expected values for device trade-ins from services including BuyBackWorld, Gazelle, Decluttr, and MyPhones Unlimited, as well as a collection of bonuses to enhance the value of the offers.