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When you're ready to upgrade to the latest and greatest Android flagship phone, you'll want to dispose of your old phone properly. Newer phones can be sold, traded in, or donated, whereas older devices are better off recycled. Several options are available, so throwing away your phone is a last resort.
Turn your old gadgets into holiday cash the quick and easy way
This article is sponsored by Decluttr
Black Friday is right around the corner, which means the holiday shopping season is basically already here. Whether you’re strapped for cash this year, or you need to make some room for new gadgets, Decluttr offers a great way to offload retired tech for more cash than you’re likely to find anywhere else. Here’s how to get the most money for your used electronics.
Help combat the global e-waste crisis (and get paid to do it!) by recycling your old gadgets
This article is sponsored by Decluttr
Amid the relentless cadence of new phones, tablets, laptops, and wearables that drop every year, that many more retired devices will be left to rot in drawers, landfills, and other places where they simply don’t belong. In recognition of International E-Waste Day (October 14), we’re teaming up with Decluttr to shed some light on the impact of global e-waste, plus we’ll share how you can help combat it.
Decluttr pays 33% more for iPhone trade-ins than carriers, plus AP readers get an extra 10% on top of that
This article is sponsored by Decluttr
Which phones lose their value the fastest (and what can you do about it)?
This article is sponsored by Decluttr
Samsung wants all your old hardware, raises trade-in limit to 4 devices for latest pre-orders
Considering what it's offering for some hardware, though, maybe think twice
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Trading in your old phone can be a great way to cut down the cost of a new handset, and that's all the more important when we're shopping for expensive phones like the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip series. With Samsung's latest models, it looks easier than ever to save a lot through trade-ins, thanks to the company letting you trade in up to four devices at once.
Samsung did Pixel owners dirty on trade-in values for the Z Fold3 and Flip3
$100 for a Pixel 4 XL, and the company won't even take anything more recent than that
It's Samsung pre-order day for the new folding phones, and this time around, Samsung isn't subsidizing anyone with crazy trade-in values. In fact, outside being able to dump a whole pile of older devices that Samsung is graciously offering a minimum for, they're pretty middle-of-the-road-to-bad — but you can stack up to four trade-ins. That's more than the two we expected previously.
Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra: Best deals, pricing, trade-in values, and availability
You can get an S21 for as low as $99 with a valid trade-in
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Samsung's new Galaxy S21 series is now shipping to buyers, and just like last year, there are three models to choose from. Even though all of them — the S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra — are cheaper than their S20 counterparts, they can still cost you up to $1,200. Finding the best deal possible could save you hundreds of dollars.
Today is Galaxy S21 Day: Here are the deals still available on Samsung's latest flagship
Samsung Store trade-in values are the same 'for a limited time'
Though some units shipped early, formal availability for Samsung's new Galaxy S21 series starts today. That means "pre-order" is now "buy" at most retailers, and many of the early pre-order credit promotions are gone. However, trade-in values at Samsung's store remain pretty great, and you can still get $50-100 (or more) in store credit, plus a SmartTag.
LG officially revealed its weird swivel-screened phone last month, dubbed the LG Wing. It's one of the more interesting takes on a dual-screen device we've seen yet, though the $999 price is a lot to pay for an unproven form factor. Thankfully, with AT&T selling the phone, there's a chance you could pay a bit less money.
Samsung Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra: Best deals, pricing, trade-in values, and availability
Where to find the best deals on Samsung's newest Note
Samsung's newest Note phones are here, and they're very, very expensive. These phones sport Samsung's latest displays, improved S Pens, and all the 5G you can handle. If you're dead-set on picking up the new Galaxy Note20 or Note20 Ultra, you've got several options. Samsung has the unlocked phone, of course, but you can also buy the phone from your carrier of choice. We've got all the details right here. Most pre-order deals are over now, and it'll probably be a few more weeks at least before there are new discounts.
Google clarifies that Canadian Pixel 4a buyers who opted for a trade-in won't be left without a phone
You won't have to use a landline or something in the meantime after all
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The Pixel 4a is undoubtedly an incredible value on the smartphone market right now, but its weakest point is still its maker — Google. The search giant has messed up the logistics so often in its relatively short existence in the smartphone space that we’ve frankly lost count. The brand-new Pixel 4a couldn’t avoid the inevitable either, but Google’s latest snafu sounds fresh; hear me out. The company is asking its Canadian customers to ship back their existing phones more than a week before the Pixel 4a is expected to reach them.
Phones are only getting pricier as the years go on, so selling your old handset is one of the best ways you can recoup the increasing cost of upgrading. And unless your phone is absolutely ancient, there's a good chance it's worth going through the trouble of selling it. And best of all, it's something you can feel at least kind of good about, because you'll be giving your old phone a second life with someone else (or having it e-recycled), and that's a lot better than having it slowly rot in a landfill for decades.In this post, we'll go over the best ways to sell your Android phone, with a priority on getting the most money out of your old device. This is not a sponsored post, no sites or services paid us to mention them here.
Samsung tweaks Galaxy S20 trade-in offers, starts paying more for older and damaged phones
You can still get up to $250 off if your Galaxy S7 has a cracked screen
At the start of April, Samsung introduced a buyback program for its Galaxy S20 phones to encourage people to 'rent' a phone for 2 years at half the retail price. Now, the company is making another bid to attract upgrades by adjusting its top trade-in valuations for Apple, Google, and its own phones. The main takeaway for direct buyers? If you're giving up an older iPhone or Galaxy, you're likely getting a better deal.
Sonos backtracks on controversial speaker-bricking trade-in program
Now you can get the discount without turning your old gear into garbage
Sonos is backtracking on its contentious new trade-in program, which effectively bricked devices that were flipped into a "recycle mode" for a trade-in discount. Instead of ensuring all its old speakers end up in the garbage, the company is switching to a serial number-based validation system to snag a discount, and you can even hang onto your old, outdated speaker.
Samsung's crazy trade-in deals are back for the Galaxy S20, save up to $700
Pick one up for as little as $300
There are two things Samsung is known for when it comes to trading in phones for its latest flagships: You can run into some serious issues, but Samsung gives insane values in the name of making a sale. This trend looks set to hold true for the Galaxy S20, as well, with Samsung offering up to $700 on trade-ins, including $600 for dissatisfied Pixel 4 owners, and $300 for both the Pixel 3 and 3a series. That can get you a Galaxy S20 for as little as $300.
Trade-in offers aren't always the best value, though sometimes companies are willing to subsidize the discount you get just to put you in their ecosystem or reward you for sticking around. Based on the trade-in values that Google is offering for previous Pixels, though, it seems the company couldn't care less about brand loyalty. Right now, a mint condition 128GB Pixel 3 XL gets you just $295 in value toward a Pixel 4 pre-order. For folks that paid $1,000 last year, that stings.
Samsung's trade-in programs are usually pretty appealing, but they're not the most reliable in terms of paying out. If you've been looking to get some decent money out of your new phone, Microsoft Stores are currently handing out up to $650 with in-person trade-ins towards the purchase of a Note10 or Note10+.
Samsung's reservation page for the "next generation of Galaxy" (i.e., the Galaxy Note10) just went live, and with it comes a table of trade-in values. Parties interested in swapping their old phone for Samsung's upcoming hardware can get up to $600 in value if they send in a Galaxy S10-series phone, iPhone X variant, or Pixel 3. Note that at the time of writing, that's full credit for a Pixel 3's as-new price.
In case you've missed the flood of news this afternoon, the OnePlus 7 Pro is finally official (and officially great). Orders at OnePlus's website start May 17, but beginning today, you can initiate the process of trading in your current phone for the new hotness, and save yourself up to $290 in doing so.