MacBook Pro value retention
How far below Apple's current list price each generation actually trades in the secondary market.
Retention by generation
| Generation | Apple list (median) | Our fair value (median) | Trades at | Implied decline | Configs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M5 | $4,499 | $3,754 | 85% of list | 9%/yr | 28 |
| M4 | $2,899 | $2,350 | 81% of list | 7%/yr | 23 |
| M3 | $3,099 | $1,912 | 63% of list | 11%/yr | 18 |
| M2 | $3,099 | $1,660 | 54% of list | 15%/yr | 8 |
| M1 | $3,499 | $1,200 | 38% of list | 16%/yr | 8 |
Measured across the configurations MacProbe tracks. "Apple list" is Apple's current price for that class, not its launch price, so "implied decline" is a single-point fit against that anchor rather than a depreciation curve since release. Treat it as a comparison between generations, not a forecast.
Why we don't publish a depreciation curve
Producing a genuine depreciation curve needs the price each configuration launched at, and MacProbe does not have launch prices. MODELS[].msrp is Apple's current list price, and Apple repriced the line in 2026, so comparing today's resale value against it measures "discount to today's new price", not decline since release.
This page previously published an unsourced annual depreciation figure instead of saying that. It has been removed rather than restated.
What we can measure is above — the observed spread between Apple's list and what each generation actually sells for — and it is the more useful number when you are deciding between a new machine and a used one.
Compare generation valuations directly via the M3 vs M4 vs M5 Generation comparison matrix.