If you're a fan of trade-in offers, I have some great news for you: Samsung, one of the leading purveyors of awesome Android phone deals, has just announced that it's improving its popular trade-in program in a few key ways.
Starting now in South Korea and France, you can trade in Samsung Galaxy devices any time of the year in exchange for credit, and no purchase will be required to receive the cash. The program may not reach North American shores until later this year, but it's great news if you plan to buy a new Android phone in 2025.
Previously, you had to buy a new phone if you wanted to receive trade-in credit from Samsung, which was a hassle if you were simply hoping to ditch an old device (or if you wanted to switch to a non-Samsung phone). Now, thanks to this update, you'll be able to get cold hard cash in exchange for your trade-ins, any time of year and anywhere in the world.
Interestingly, it appears that only select trade-in devices will be eligible for the new terms at first. Hopefully the list expands by the time the updates reach North America, but in the meantime, you can check out the full list of eligible items in Samsung's press release. It includes the Galaxy S23, S22, the Galaxy Z Fold 5, and many others, so take a look.
These changes to Samsung's trade-in program come just a week before Galaxy Unpacked on January 22nd. During that live stream event, we expect to get a first look at the OEM's latest flagship lineup, which is likely to include the Galaxy S25, the Galaxy S25 Plus, and the super-powered Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Rumors have also suggested that we'll be treated to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim, a brand new entry to the long-running S series.
Will the new trade-in program go live in the United States before Unpacked? At this point, it seems unlikely, so I suggest keeping an eye out for Samsung Galaxy S25 preorder deals once the phones are revealed next week.
