Samsung wants to capitalize on its trade-in pricing supremacy with a standalone trade-in program that isn’t directly linked to buying a new phone. But how do these static valuations compare to Samsung’s recent deals?
This story was updated on July 27th with new U.S. trade-in pricing.
The new U.K.-based scheme is fairly straightforward. If you want to trade in your phone (it will only accept Galaxy S and Galaxy Z models at this time) without buying a new handset, you can do it through this portal. Samsung will then gift you store credit that lasts for up to five years and be used to buy anything Samsung sells.
There is also an option to trade-in and instantly buy a new device. Samsung will accept more brands through this route, including Xiaomi, Realme, Oppo, Sony, and other devices it doesn’t normally accept. Typically, when trading-in to buy a new phone, Samsung will group any handsets not made by Apple, Google, or itself under a single “any other Android” category, which comes with a single price, so this is a clear change of strategy.
While we’re on price, Samsung’s valuations fall short of previous deals if you’re swapping in a Samsung phone. The news is much better for Apple handsets, though. More on that shortly. For now, here’s a selection of what the new trade-in scheme is offering for 512GB used phones.
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 – £665 ($893.49) (up to £735 for the 1TB model)
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra – £453 ($608.65)
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 – £402 ($540.13)
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra – £340 ($456.82)
- Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra – £216 ($290.22)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra – £181 ($243.19)
- Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max – £615 ($826.31)
- Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max – £455 ($611.34)
- Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max – £335 ($450.11)
- Google Pixel Fold – £290 ($389.64)
- Google Pixel 8 Pro – £256 ($343.96)
- Pixel 7 Pro – £110 ($147.80)
These Are Not Samsung’s Best Trade-In Prices
In a promotion last month, Samsung U.K. suddenly raised trade-in prices that competed with Samsung U.S. valuations. For the unaware, U.K. and European trade-in pricing has historically been poor. Instead, the Korean company prefers to bundle free hardware in its British promotions, like a free tablet, earbuds, or a chromebook. That changed in June with an offer that raised trade-in prices to the highest I have ever seen them on this side of the pond.
- Here’s a selection of those prices up against Samsung’s new trade-in scheme.
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra June price: £581 ($784.06), new scheme price: £453 ($608.65)
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra June price: £449 ($449.39), new scheme price: £340 ($456.82)
- Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max, June price: £230 ($310.39), new scheme price: £335 ($450.11)
- Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max, June price: £500 ($674.75), new scheme price: £615 ($826.31)
As you can see, the new scheme won’t pay as much for some Samsung handsets, but it will pay more (than the last major promotion) for Apple phones. The new scheme’s pricing also appears to be based on the current pre-order deal for the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which makes me wonder if Samsung’s valuations—for this scheme—will change based on whatever offer the company is running that day.
If they broadly stay as they are, this is a solid good option for people looking to lock in a decent trade-in price to use later (as store credit). That’s important because these valuations do change as the phones age and lose software support, which was the case with the Galaxy S20 Ultra earlier this year. But always check if Samsung is running a promotion on its site, or the Samsung Shop app, because there’s a decent chance you will find a better price for your used phone.
July 27th update: Galaxy Z Fold 7 buyers in the U.S. haven’t been ignored when it comes to trade-in discounts. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 pre-order period is over, but Samsung still has inflated trade-in prices on its site. There are some solid prices here for older phones that rival some of the better promotions we have seen from the Korean company. Here are a couple of realistic trade-in options.
- Galaxy Z Fold 5 – $900
- Galaxy S24 Ultra – 800
- Galaxy Note 20 Ultra – $600
- Galaxy S22 Ultra – $500
- Galaxy S21 Ultra – $400
Clearly, the best price here is $600 for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which was released five years ago in 2020. You can buy a Note 20 Ultra on eBay for far less than this—in some cases for under $200—if you don’t have anything to trade-in and want that discount.
Samsung wants you to handover a Galaxy phone because the trade-in prices for Apple handsets, and other Android devices, are nothing to write home about. For example, a realistic Apple trade-in, such as the iPhone 13 Pro Max, is priced at $300. Depending on the condition, you could get slightly more than that on the secondary market. Google Pixel phones are poorly priced, too. With exceptions of the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold ($600), numbers dramatically dip with the Pixel 8 Pro ($250) and crater with the Pixel 7 Pro ($150).
