The foldable smartphone market is still maturing, and with Apple's rumored iPhone Ultra expected to launch in fall 2026, questions about the real value of these devices are mounting. A recent analysis by SellCell, a platform specializing in comparing resale values, casts a worrying light: a 2,000-dollar foldable iPhone could lose as much as 1,292 dollars within 12 months, based on the average depreciation rate of current foldable models.
Foldable smartphones lose 64.6% of value in 12 months according to industry analysis
The study examined resale performance of flagship smartphones from Apple, Samsung, Google, Motorola, and OnePlus, finding that foldable devices suffer the worst depreciation rate among all categories. On average, a foldable loses 64.6% of its value within a year, compared to 55.3% for traditional smartphones. In dollar terms, foldable owners lose an average of 997.69 dollars after 12 months, far more than the 605.32 dollars lost by owners of standard models. After one year, foldables retain only 35.4% of their launch price, while non-folding phones keep 44.7%.
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A hypothetical iPhone Ultra at 2000 dollars could be worth 708 dollars after one year
According to rumors, Apple is preparing its first foldable iPhone, likely named iPhone Ultra, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in fall 2026, priced around 2,000 dollars. Using the average depreciation rate of current foldables, SellCell estimates the residual value after 12 months would be about 708 dollars, representing a loss of roughly 1,292 dollars. However, the study notes that Apple has historically outperformed competitors in resale value. The iPhone 16 lineup retained 51.5% of its value after 12 months, the strongest among major manufacturers, ahead of OnePlus (46.8%), Google (40.8%), Samsung (39.5%), and Motorola (24.5%).
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Apple's historical resale value advantage might mitigate but not eliminate the loss
If a foldable iPhone matched the iPhone 16 line's depreciation rate, SellCell calculates it could be worth around 1,030 dollars after a year, a loss over 300 dollars lower than a typical foldable. In reality, depreciation would likely align more closely with Apple's existing figures: the base iPhone 16 retained 51.4% of value after one year, while the 256GB iPhone 16 Pro Max achieved 56.4%. Even in this optimistic scenario, the loss on a 2,000-dollar device would still be about 1,000 dollars over 12 months. For context, Oracle recently cut 21,000 jobs to fund AI investments, a sign that even strong tech companies are reassessing priorities. The future foldable iPhone must demonstrate not only technical innovation but also the ability to hold value over time to justify the premium price. For further reading on resale trends, an authoritative external source is the Wikipedia page on foldable smartphones.
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Source: https://www.macrumors.com/2026/06/23/foldable-iphone-could-lose-1300-in-first-year
