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What is the resale value of your smartphone?

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When you buy an Android device you usually purchase for two years but inevitably the next generation comes out the following year and you still have one year left to go. If you want to do an early upgrade you'll need to sell that old phone. But what is it worth? Which phones really hold their value? Let's take a look.

There are a couple of different ways we can find out what your old device is worth. We're going to show you how to cross-check the value of your used phone on different sites. And we'll take a look at how some 2015 and 2016 high-end device have held their value.

To be sure, there are many factors that go into the resale value of an Android device. And just because a phone has a low trade-in rate doesn't necessarily mean it's a poor performer. It's possible that the next generation was just released or other factors.

To check the value of the old smartphones we'll elaborate here, we'll use Movaluate and cross-check it with what used phones for the same carrier are going for on Amazon. Movaluate gives you different factors you can input to find what you can sell it for, like display condition, housing condition and functionality. But you should probably get under other sellers on Amazon to ensure the device is sold in a timely fashion.

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Movaluate lets you look at your pricing for your old smartphone. / © Screenshot AndroidPIT

Samsung Galaxy S7

The Samsung Galaxy S7 hit the market with a bang. It was priced around $700 when it was initially released back on March 1 of this year. No successor has hit the market from the Galaxy S series and none is expected to hit the market anytime soon. Samsung devices tend to be durable and stay running for a long time so we could expect a used one to keep its value for a while.

As you can see from the price above from Movaluate the Samsung Galaxy S7 (T-Mobile provider) is listed at $452.50 if the used device is in 'Good' condition overall. You can also take a look at what they're going for on Amazon below and the prices are relatively the same. That means this device lost about 30 percent of its value in about five months. Overall, if you want to upgrade and you have this device you'll get a good chunk of cash to go towards your next phone.

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A used Samsung Galaxy S7 yields a good price. / © Screenshot AndroidPIT

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

The very popular Galaxy Note 5 has retained its interest and there are some die-hard fans. Its successor, the Galaxy Note 7, is expected to hit the markets in the coming weeks and this might change the current pricing as Note 5 owners look to upgrade.

So far the used Note 5 prices have remained relatively stable and you'll get almost as much as a Galaxy S7 that was released about eight months after the Note 5. Amazingly, you can get $362.50 for one of these used. So as the release of the Note 7 nears you potential Note 5 buyers might want to pay attention as the prices should decrease. And if you're thinking of upgrading you may want to unload now.

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The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 has really retained its value well. / © Screenshot AndroidPIT

Samsung Galaxy S6

Now, onto a device that already has a successor out, the Galaxy S6. This device was released back in April of 2015 at a high price and today you'll get around 30 percent of what you paid for it new when it was initially sold. There are a couple of factors but the fact that the successor, the Galaxy S7, addressed so many of the concerns over the S6 made the price go down for a used S6.

The current resale value of a Galaxy S6 is $259.99. Now that's not a ton of money for a flagship Samsung barely over a year old and you may want to hold onto it for a while longer before you trade up. I would recommend waiting next year for the S8 if you want to stay in this series.

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You won't get much of the original price of the S6 back. / © Screenshot AndroidPIT

LG G5

While the Galaxy S7 retained its value well, another device the doesn't have a successor but was released around the same time, the LG G5, did not keep its price well. We could attribute this to a lack of interest in the device. This geeky smartphone had a lot of features but did not sell well to the public at large.

The LG G5 gives us a good look at what can happen to a phone's value when the device is not popular after release. You'll only get about 50 percent of the value of the device if you try to sell it now. After about three months on the market you'll only get $368.75 – ouch.

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The LG G5 has not retained its value. / © Screenshot AndroidPIT

Google Nexus 5

Now, what happens when you get a classic device and want to resell it. Well, these phones understandably do the best in resale. The Nexus 5, despite having successors and being almost three years old, still yields a decent price if you want to sell it used.

The Nexus 5 gives us a view of how buying quality devices can give you lots of value in the long run. If your Nexus 5 is still in good condition you can get almost $100 for it to go towards a new phone. That's incredible and shows how going for a quality new phone can really help you.

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Incredibly, you can still get a decent amount for your old Nexus 5. / © Screenshot AndroidPIT

What do you think about resale values of phones? Let us know in the comments.

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Cory Schmidt

Cory Schmidt
Editor

A Minnesota native, Cory's background is in writing and editing. He received his BA from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and his MA from the University of Kansas. He joined the Android community in 2009 and is excited to be contributing at AndroidPIT.

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8 comments
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  • prekyap 11
    prekyap Jul 26, 2016 Link to comment

    Good post but what about one plus one

    AnjalitriyachiGT Ohh


  • 5
    Sjaak Schulteis Jul 25, 2016 Link to comment

    I bought my Samsung Note 3 for less then half the original price - and it was an unused Phone. Then I traded it in and got the Samsung Note 4 and just payed 5000 Thai Baht -- about 150 US Dollar for it.... so next might be the Note 5, in 2017. I don't have the newest, but the Note 4 has Android 6.01 and runs very well.... I might also wait for a Note with a display that is even better than this one, in order to watch movies on my VR Gear.

    GT Ohh


    • 46
      Deactivated Account Jul 25, 2016 Link to comment

      The Note 5 is a downgrade from the Note 4. The 5 does not have micro SD, removable batter or the IP68 water resistance. Plus it is all glass and easily damaged. The Note 4 is still a power house and will be good for years.

      GT OhhMoni Mihailov俊浩 余


      • 19
        Moni Mihailov Jul 27, 2016 Link to comment

        Same deal with the Galaxy series. S5 is superb to the S6. Now the S7 tried to fix S6's losses and it did actually do it, to a large extent. If the S8 or S9 have the removable battery back in some way I'm going for one of those but until then the S5 remains the best from the smartphones with Note 4 being the best phablet.

        GT OhhDeactivated Account


  • Eric 6
    Eric Jul 25, 2016 Link to comment

    most used devices can reach at least half the original price, obviously depends on scratches and the look of a device, if there are no scratches and no obvious marks on a device and it is just over 1yr old and running latest OS available then half price is decent for any device, personally all my old devices have always looked new when i sell them and i have always got a fraction over half price


  • Albert 3
    Albert Jul 25, 2016 Link to comment

    What about a cracked S7 Edge? 😅


    • Dhruv 3
      Dhruv Jul 25, 2016 Link to comment

      /Gutter


  • Francesco V. 20
    Francesco V. Jul 24, 2016 Link to comment

    Unfortunately the Movaluate service has a quite poor choice of devices. Anyway, what I did for my used phones was similar to what indicated here.
    I did search for the model on special websites for second hand objects (here in Switzerland it is not what's in the USA), plus I checked on Amazon and other online shops, then I averaged and finally halved the price. It was always a good affair :-)

    GT Ohh

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