Why Samsung is interested in the 'trade-in' smartphone program

Smartphone manufacturers are increasingly paying attention to trade-in offers, especially at official stores when a new smartphone is introduced. This not only makes it easier for customers to access new smartphone models, but also benefits companies in maintaining a competitive edge.

PHOTO: REUTERS

According to Canalys, Samsung’s trade-in strategy helps the Korean company narrow the value gap with Apple. Many surveys show that iPhones often have higher resale prices than Galaxy S devices, which affects the pricing power of Samsung smartphones in the used phone market.

How Samsung Gets Customers to Switch Smartphones

One way Samsung encourages customers to trade in their smartphones is by offering a trade-in value of $100 or more above the market price when customers want to trade in a premium model like the Galaxy S25. This strategy not only reduces the price customers pay for flagship models, but also boosts sales and raises the average selling price of the product.

Evidence of the success of this strategy is the 45% increase in the global average selling price of Samsung smartphones, from $389 to $528, between 2022 and Q1 2025. Samsung's market share in the $600+ segment has also increased from 18% to 32%.

In addition, Samsung also launched regional upgrade programs, such as Galaxy Club in the US and UK, which guarantees a 50% buyback on an old device within 15 months and allows customers to buy a new phone with 0% interest installments.

Trade-in programs not only make it easier for customers to own high-end models, but also provide the secondary market with a variety of high-quality used phones, thereby attracting more users to the Samsung ecosystem. Many of them will continue to participate in the upgrade cycle, thereby contributing to the growth of the ecosystem.