True cost
How Much Does Upgrading Your iPhone Every Year Cost?
The price right now
$799.00 — per year, gross — a new base iPhone before any trade-in
- $104.00 · net per year at Apple's top published trade-in value
- $764.00 · net per year at Apple's lowest published trade-in value
Prices as of July 2026. The $695 ceiling on Apple's trade-in range is for recent high-end devices, not the one-year-old base phone this habit hands back. Apple publishes no single figure for that specific case, so this page gives the bounds and says where the uncertainty is rather than inventing a midpoint.
Sources: Apple — current iPhone pricing (iPhone 16 128GB $699, iPhone 17 base $799) · Apple Trade In — published values of $35–695 depending on the device handed back
What it really costs per year
| Cost item | Per year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A new base iPhone, every year | $799 | Apple's current base price. 26 hours of median-income work a year, or 110 hours at the federal minimum wage. Apple — current iPhone pricing (iPhone 16 128GB $699, iPhone 17 base $799) |
| What trade-in returns | varies | Apple publishes values from $35 to $695 across eligible devices. The top of that range belongs to recent high-end models — a one-year-old base iPhone lands somewhere inside it, and Apple gives no published figure for exactly that device. Apple Trade In — published values of $35–695 depending on the device handed back |
| The bounds of the net cost | varies | At the extremes of Apple's published range, $799 minus trade-in nets between $104 and $764 a year. That is a sevenfold spread, and it is the single number this whole decision turns on — get your own quote before running any budget. Apple Trade In — published values of $35–695 depending on the device handed back |
| Five years of the habit | varies | Five base iPhones at $799 is $3,995 gross — 130 hours of median-income work, or 551 hours at the federal minimum wage. Apple — current iPhone pricing (iPhone 16 128GB $699, iPhone 17 base $799) |
| Against keeping the same phone three years | varies | A $699 iPhone kept three years costs $233 a year. Upgrading annually at $799 gross is 3.4 times that, before a single dollar of trade-in comes back. Apple — current iPhone pricing (iPhone 16 128GB $699, iPhone 17 base $799) |
| Total per year | $799 | Gross, before trade-in — the only figure here that is certain. 26 hours of median-income work a year; over five years, $3,995 and 130 hours. |
The price in hours of your life
The same yearly figure, converted into working time — one year of this habit costs you:
| Income level | Hourly | Hours of work / year | Work weeks / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal minimum wage | $7.25 | 110 | ≈ 2.8 |
| Median US full-time income | $30.83 | 26 | ≈ 0.6 |
| Higher incomeexample | $50.00 | 16 | ≈ 0.4 |
Sources: US DOL — federal minimum, unchanged since 2009 · BLS Usual Weekly Earnings, Q1 2026 — median weekly earnings $1,233 ÷ 40h
Prefer to start from your side of the math? Calculate your exact hourly rate first — it's remembered for the session.
The number you can't look up
A new base iPhone is $799, so upgrading every year costs $799 a year gross — 26 hours of median-income work, 110 at the federal minimum, and $3,995 across five years. The net is what actually matters, and it is the one figure nobody publishes. Apple's trade-in values run from $35 to $695, but that ceiling is for recent high-end devices, not the one-year-old base phone you would be handing back. At the extremes the habit nets somewhere between $104 and $764 a year — a sevenfold spread, wide enough that no average is worth trusting and your own trade-in quote is the only input that settles it. What is not in doubt is the comparison: keeping a phone three years costs $233 a year, and upgrading annually costs 3.4 times that before any trade-in at all.
For
- Trade-in is real money and it is the main lever — Apple's published values reach $695 for eligible devices
- A one-year-old phone sits near the top of its resale value, which is the best possible moment to hand it back
- The gross figure is fixed and knowable at $799, so exactly one variable in this decision is uncertain
Against
- $799 gross a year is 26 hours of median-income work, and $3,995 across five years
- At the federal minimum wage that is 110 hours a year and 551 hours over five
- It costs 3.4 times what keeping the same phone three years costs ($233 a year), before trade-in
Frequently asked questions
How much does upgrading your iPhone every year cost?
$799 a year gross at Apple's current base price, or $3,995 over five years. The net depends on trade-in: Apple's published values of $35–695 put it somewhere between $104 and $764 a year.
What does Apple give for a trade-in?
Between $35 and $695 depending on the device. The top of that range applies to recent high-end models rather than a one-year-old base iPhone, and Apple publishes no separate figure for that case — a quote on your specific device is the only reliable number.
How many hours of work is a yearly iPhone upgrade?
About 26 hours a year at the median US income of $30.83 an hour, and 110 hours at the federal minimum wage. Over five years that is 130 and 551 hours.
Is it cheaper to keep an iPhone longer?
Substantially. A $699 iPhone kept three years costs $233 a year, against $799 a year gross for upgrading annually — 3.4 times more, before any trade-in value is counted.