How Much Is a Used Phone Worth? Price a Second-Hand iPhone or Android

Ask five people what a used iPhone 13 is worth and you’ll get five answers — and all of them may be right for a different phone. Value isn’t set by the model name alone. Two phones that look identical can be worth very different amounts because one has a worn battery, one is carrier-locked, or one is still signed in to someone’s iCloud and is worth almost nothing.

We won’t give you a price list here, because prices move every week and differ hugely between Lagos, London and Los Angeles. Instead, this guide gives you a repeatable method that works for any phone, in any market, whether you’re buying, selling or trading in. You’ll learn how to find the true market price, which factors move it, and how to verify the facts that justify it.

Step 1: Identify the exact phone

Pricing starts with precision. “iPhone 14 Pro” isn’t enough; you need the exact model, storage, color and region version. A 128 GB and a 512 GB phone are different products, and a US eSIM-only model sells differently from one with a SIM tray in many countries.

• iPhone: Settings › General › About shows the model name, capacity and model number.
• Android: Settings › About phone shows the model code (for Samsung, something like SM-S921B) and storage under Settings › Storage or Device care.

Don’t rely on what the seller typed in the listing. A Model + Color + Storage + Find My check confirms all of it from the manufacturer’s records in seconds — and if the details don’t match, you’ve already learned something important about the deal.

Step 2: Find the real market price from sold items

The most common pricing mistake is copying asking prices. Asking prices are wishes; sold prices are the market. Here’s how to build a reliable baseline:

1. Search the exact model and storage on two or three platforms people in your country actually use.
2. Filter for completed or sold listings where the platform allows it. Where it doesn’t, look at listings that disappeared quickly — they were probably priced right.
3. Collect at least 8–10 comparable sales from the last 30 days. Ignore obvious outliers: “for parts”, “iCloud locked”, or suspiciously cheap listings.
4. Note the condition, battery and lock status of each comparable where it’s stated.
5. Take the median (the middle value), not the average. One crazy listing won’t distort it.

That median is your baseline for a clean, unlocked phone in typical used condition. Now adjust it.

Step 3: Adjust for the factors that move value

Each factor below pushes the price up or down from your baseline. Rather than fixed amounts, think in terms of what the next buyer will have to spend or risk.

Battery health

An iPhone below 80% maximum capacity shows a “Service” recommendation, and most buyers notice. The fair adjustment is the cost of a genuine battery replacement where you live, plus a little for the hassle. On iPhone 15 and later, the cycle count in Settings › Battery › Battery Health makes this easy to verify. Our battery and parts guide explains the numbers.

Carrier lock

A locked phone is worth less because the buyer’s choice of network is restricted. How much less depends on whether the phone can be officially unlocked. A paid-off phone from a carrier with a clear unlock process loses less value than one with an unpaid balance. Check it with a carrier + SIM-lock check rather than trusting “factory unlocked” in a listing, and read carrier-locked vs unlocked for how locks work.

iCloud and blacklist

These are not adjustments; they are cliffs. An iPhone with Find My on and no owner to remove it, or any phone with a lost/stolen report, is not a discounted phone — it’s a phone you shouldn’t buy. Confirm with a GSMA blacklist check and, for US devices, a USA blacklist / barred check.

Step 4: Grade the condition honestly

Use a simple, consistent scale so your price makes sense to the other side:

• Like new: no visible marks at arm’s length; screen flawless.
• Good: light scuffs on the frame or back; screen has no deep scratches.
• Fair: visible scratches, small dents, minor screen marks.
• Damaged: cracks, dead pixels, faulty buttons or cameras. Price from the repair cost, not the comparables.

Photograph the phone in daylight from every side. Hidden damage discovered later turns into a price argument — or a dispute.

Step 5: Account for timing and market

The same phone sells for different amounts depending on when and where:

• New model launches. Prices for recent iPhones usually soften after Apple’s autumn launch, and Galaxy prices after Samsung’s major releases. Sellers get more by selling before; buyers get more by waiting.
• Software support. A model close to losing major OS updates falls faster.
• Local demand. In markets where eSIM support is limited, US eSIM-only iPhones may be harder to sell. Where import supply is strong, foreign-used phones can push prices down.
• Currency. In markets with fast-moving exchange rates, check comparables over the last couple of weeks, not months.

Step 6: Prove the value with a report

A clean report is the single best way to defend a price. As a seller, sharing an All-in-one Basic Info report (model, storage, Find My status and more) tells buyers you have nothing to hide, and justifies asking at the top of the market range. A warranty check proves remaining coverage on a newer phone. As a buyer, run the checks yourself — never accept a screenshot from the seller.

Selling? Follow our guide to selling your phone safely so the buyer receives a properly erased, unlocked phone. Buying? The check before buying page lists everything to verify. Try the free check below on any iPhone:

A worked example of the method

Say you’re pricing an iPhone 13, 128 GB. You find ten recent sold listings for clean, unlocked units in good condition and take the median — that’s your baseline. The phone in front of you has 81% battery health, so you subtract the local cost of a genuine battery replacement. It’s in “good” condition, matching the comparables, so no adjustment there. The report shows it’s unlocked, Find My is off and the IMEI is clean, so no lock discount. It has the original box: add a little. The result is a price you can explain line by line — and that’s exactly what makes a negotiation short.

Before you agree on a final number, verify every fact the price depends on: