Samsung Demonstrates Enhanced Value of Your Galaxy Device Now
Samsung Demonstrates Enhanced Value of Your Galaxy Device Now
Don't discard your old Galaxy device or sell it second-hand on the market. Samsung has demonstrated in the recent past that old devices retain their worth even while collecting dust in your drawer.
In the past year, Samsung has shifted its strategy towards running promotions with increased trade-in values instead of straightforward discounts for new Galaxy phones. This shift has resulted in quite impressive prices for phones that are years old.
For instance, a promotion in December for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 presented some of the best appraisals I've observed for older phones.
- Galaxy Z Fold 3 - $1000
- Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G - $800
- Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G - $800
- Galaxy S9 - $500
- Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max - $800
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max - $700
- Apple iPhone X - $550
These phone prices do not apply when purchasing cheaper Samsung models, such as the Galaxy S24 Ultra. However, S24 Ultra buyers still receive some of the highest trade-in prices in the market for older handsets.
- Galaxy S21 Ultra - $650
- Galaxy S20 Ultra - $400
- Galaxy S9 - $300
- Galaxy S8 Plus - $300
- Google Pixel 5 - $300
- Google Pixel 4 $300
Samsung, Google, and Apple's price war
It is not solely Samsung engaging in this strategy. Generally speaking, you will receive the best trade-in prices for old devices from the company that manufactured them.
Google offered $650 for the Pixel 6 Pro last month, $300 more than Samsung's price. Apple, a company that seldom offers promotions, has matched some of Samsung's iPhone trade-in prices in the past year.
Samsung, however, beat both Apple and Samsung for old Pixels and iPhones in 2024. For example, Samsung will pay $300 for any Pixel, including the 2016 Pixel 1. The most Google will pay for it is $110. For Apple tech, Samsung will pay $300 for the iPhone 13, while Apple will not pay more than $220 for any phone below the iPhone 12 Pro.
This influences pricing from third-party retailers, who primarily make profits from hardware sales. Best Buy, Amazon, and others cannot match manufacturer trade-in prices (Amazon has offered $5 for the Galaxy S8 Plus compared to Samsung's $300).
This is why we have seen some of the lowest upfront prices from retailers like Amazon in recent months—repeatedly undercutting Samsung and others in sales.
Manufacturers engage in the trade-in game to keep users within their respective ecosystems. Samsung may be losing money by paying hundreds of dollars for eight-year-old handsets.
However, users of Samsung's services hold more long-term value than just selling hardware. This could be particularly true if Samsung decides to charge for Galaxy AI this year, as it has hinted at doing.
These significantly high trade-in prices drastically alter the worth of your old Samsung Galaxy phone. Combined with new policies from manufacturers that promise software support for most of a decade, we will see more people retaining their phones for longer than ever before.
- If you're considering selling your old Samsung Galaxy device, consider swapping it on Swappa instead of selling it second-hand.
- The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is one of the Galaxy phones that offers some of the highest trade-in values when sold on platforms like Swappa or Best Buy.
- When I checked the prices for trading in old devices recently, I noticed that Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra details showed impressive trade-in values, even compared to newer models like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or Samsung Galaxy A25 5G.
- Although Verizon might not offer the best trade-in values for older Samsung devices, their trade-in programs can still be beneficial if you're looking to upgrade to the latest Samsung Galaxy devices or even other brands like Apple or Google.
- Within the next few years, you may want to hold onto your original Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 5G 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB AI unlocked devices, as these models are likely to retain their worth due to substantial trade-in values from manufacturers like Samsung.