Apple has a big iPhone 17 Pro Max problem, and this poll confirms it
Apple has a big iPhone 17 Pro Max problem, and this poll confirms it
Publish Date: 2026-03-05 08:36:00
Source Domain: www.phonearena.com
Is the iPhone 17 Pro Max a good phone? Clearly. Is it the best phone in the world? For many Apple fans, it undoubtedly is, and our rigorous and totally objective analysis of the top options on the market right now essentially ends in a tie for first place between this 6.9-inch Apple A19 Pro flagship and Samsung’s hot new Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Since then, we’ve asked you if you’ve recently sold your phone, and if so, what model was it, and while the vast majority of responses were “no”, the iPhone 17 Pro Max received an… interesting number of “votes” from PhoneArena readers.
What exactly is wrong with this device?
Well, I’m here today to find that out, so after asking you if you’ve recently sold your phone, I want to discuss specifically with those who’ve already ditched their iPhone 17 Pro Max units in a new poll and the comments section further below.
SellCell analysts believe that the phone’s apparent (and unusual) trouble retaining and loyalizing so many of its original owners might not come from those people’s dissatisfaction or disappointment with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, instead having a lot to do with its impressive value retention.
Basically, the 17 Pro Max is so valuable on the “independent trade-in market” that many users might simply not be able to resist the temptation of selling it and cashing in on their “investments” while the ROI is still high.
Personally, I’m not (entirely) convinced by that explanation because no one is actually selling any used phone at a profit (duh!). That must mean something is in fact wrong enough with this device to cause many people to seek an escape of sorts.
And that brings me to a second new poll I’d like to start today.
What are all these iPhone 17 Pro Max deserters getting as a replacement?
Let’s be honest, no one is selling their state-of-the-art 2025-released smartphone to start a new life away from modern civilization and technology.
And while I initially theorized that the…
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