Before you buy a new phone, check what your old one is worth
Apple, Samsung and Back Market post trade-in offers, and Samsung's factory-refurbished Galaxy phones are now on Amazon from $489.
Shoppers eyeing a new phone this holiday season can lower the cost by trading in an old device or buying a refurbished one, and several companies have posted new offers.
Samsung said Oct. 21 that its Certified Re-Newed phones, used Galaxy phones that Samsung repairs with its own parts and a new battery, are now sold on Amazon.com. The company says each phone passes 147 quality checks and carries a one-year limited warranty. Fourteen versions of the Galaxy S24 and S25 lines start at $489 before tax.
For trade-ins, prices checked Nov. 3: Apple's trade-in page lists $35 to $885 for an iPhone, up to $905 for a tablet and up to $2,195 for a computer. Samsung's page offers up to $800 in instant credit toward a new Samsung device, plus up to $300 more on select Galaxy Z Fold8 phones through Nov. 8. Back Market, an online marketplace for refurbished electronics, says it pays up to $700 for an old device.
Top values go to newer phones in good shape; older or cracked devices get far less. Compare offers, back up your photos and data, sign out of your accounts and erase the device before you send it.
This is a consumer guide, not an endorsement. Daily News earns nothing from trade-ins or sales.
Source: Samsung announcement; Samsung trade-in page; Apple Trade In page; Back Market buyback page, checked Nov. 3, 2026.