What the iPhone SE Launch Means for the Mobile Secondary Market

When new models launch, there’s an increase in trade-ins; a majority of these devices are then pushed to B2B secondary market channels. On the heels of today’s iPhone SE launch, B-Stock is breaking down what impact Apple’s newest model will have on the mobile secondary market. 

iPhone SE Release Details:

Secondary Market Context

Last year’s release of the iPhone 11 in September caused a 30% drop in the iPhone XS market over two months. The reason? The iPhone 11 has similar specs as the XS, but at a $699 price point, it’s $300 less than the latter.

A/B aggregated details below:

Secondary Market Impact

Assuming those trends follow, the April 2020 release of the value-packed iPhone SE at just $399 means that its comparable predecessors—the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus—will experience a secondary market plunge similar to that of the iPhone XS in 2019. 

A/B aggregated details below:

Legacy Product Impact

Prices typically stabilize as models age. However, just as older iPhone generations were not immune to the impact of the iPhone 11 release, it’s likely that they will not be to this iPhone SE release, either. Each preceding generation will experience less depreciation, and by July, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are expected to be down 20-25%, with depreciation descending to 10-15% for the nearer-end-of-life iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

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Large carriers are moving more devices through B2B channels for resale on the secondary market versus repairing and selling B2C. If you want to learn more about secondary market trends and how large carriers, OEMs, and buy-back companies are increasing the life cycle and pricing of phones via B-Stock’s B2B marketplace platform, please get in touch below. 

For even more data + insights, please check out all of our blog posts dedicated to Mobile.