If you have an old Samsung Galaxy phone sitting in a drawer, don’t rush to sell it or trade it on the secondary market. Over the past year, Samsung has demonstrated that older Galaxy devices hold surprising value, often offering trade-in deals that significantly outperform standard resale prices.
Instead of focusing on direct discounts for new Galaxy phones, Samsung has leaned heavily into enhanced trade-in offers. As a result, many consumers have received unexpectedly high valuations for years-old smartphones.
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Samsung’s unmatched trade-in offers
Recent promotions have highlighted just how valuable old Samsung devices can be. A December promotion for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 saw some of the most impressive trade-in values yet:
- Galaxy Z Fold 3 – $1,000
- 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
While these trade-in values are highest for Samsung’s premium models like the Z Fold 6, buyers of other Samsung devices, such as the Galaxy S24 Ultra, still receive some of the best trade-in deals available. For instance:
- Galaxy S21 Ultra – $650
- Galaxy S20 Ultra – $400
- Galaxy S9 – $300
- Galaxy S8 Plus – $300
- Google Pixel 5 – $300
- Google Pixel 4 – $300
The trade-in battle: Samsung vs. Google vs. Apple
Samsung isn’t the only manufacturer offering enticing trade-in deals. A good rule of thumb is that the company that made your device will likely offer the best trade-in value for it.
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Google, for example, offered $650 for the Pixel 6 Pro in a recent promotion—$300 more than Samsung’s offer for the same device. Even Apple, which rarely runs aggressive trade-in promotions, has matched some of Samsung’s offers on iPhones in the past year.
However, Samsung has also beaten its competitors when trading in older Google and Apple devices. For example:
- Samsung pays $300 for any Google Pixel, including the original 2016 model—while Google’s trade-in program caps out at $110.
- Samsung offers $300 for an iPhone 13, whereas Apple only offers up to $220 for models below the iPhone 12 Pro.
How this affects third-party retailers
The aggressive trade-in strategies from manufacturers like Samsung impact third-party retailers, which primarily profit from hardware sales rather than data and service subscriptions. Retailers like Best Buy and Amazon struggle to match manufacturer trade-in prices, leading them to slash upfront prices to stay competitive.
For instance, Amazon has offered as little as $5 for a Galaxy S8 Plus, compared to Samsung’s $300 trade-in offer. This pricing disparity explains why major online retailers have been undercutting Samsung and others with deep discounts in recent months.
Why Samsung offers such high trade-in values
At first glance, Samsung’s willingness to pay hundreds of dollars for outdated devices might seem like a losing business strategy. However, the company’s goal isn’t just to sell new phones—it’s to keep customers within the Samsung ecosystem.
As Samsung continues to expand its software and service offerings, including the possible introduction of paid Galaxy AI features, keeping users engaged with Samsung devices becomes more valuable than immediate hardware profits.
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The future of phone trade-ins
With Samsung and other manufacturers pushing trade-in values to new heights, your old phone may be worth more than ever. Combined with longer software support policies—some now extending up to a decade—users are likely to hold onto their devices longer, knowing they will still have strong trade-in options when they eventually upgrade.
So, before you sell that old Galaxy phone for pennies, check Samsung’s latest trade-in offers—you might be surprised at how much it’s worth.
