Foldable iPhone Could Lose $1,292 in Year One, Study Warns

Resale value studies rarely make headlines, but a new analysis from SellCell lands at an awkward moment: Apple is preparing its first foldable iPhone for what is shaping up to be a crowded fall 2026 lineup, and the math on owning one looks uncomfortable before the device even exists.

SellCell analyzed 12-month resale performance across Apple, Samsung, Google, Motorola, and OnePlus, and found that foldables depreciate at an average rate of 64.6%, compared with 55.3% for traditional smartphones. In dollar terms, foldable owners lose an average of $997.69 after a year, versus $605.32 for non-folding phone owners. Foldables retain just 35.4% of their launch value after 12 months.

Applied to a rumored $2,000 price point for the device expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, that average depreciation rate produces a resale value of around $708 after one year, a loss of roughly $1,292.

Where Apple’s track record changes the picture

The headline number assumes Apple performs like the rest of the foldable market, which it historically has not. The iPhone 16 lineup retained 51.5% of its value after 12 months, the best figure among all manufacturers studied, ahead of OnePlus at 46.8%, Google at 40.8%, Samsung at 39.5%, and Motorola at 24.5%.

If a foldable iPhone matched the iPhone 16 lineup’s depreciation rate, SellCell estimates the resale value after a year would be closer to $1,030, cutting the loss by more than $300 compared to a typical foldable. The 256GB iPhone 16 Pro Max even retained 56.4% of its value, a figure that, if replicated on a $2,000 device, would still represent roughly $880 in losses over 12 months.

The honest read is that Apple’s brand premium is real and measurable in resale data, but it does not fully neutralize the structural depreciation problem that has followed every foldable to market so far.