The very few trade-in deals that make sense for Galaxy S21 Ultra users in 2025

The older a phone gets, the harder it becomes to resell for a reasonable price. Even Samsung's trade-in program follows this pattern to some degree. It doesn't place much value on aging devices, even those that were the best Galaxy models of their eras.

Unfortunately, the once-epic Galaxy S21 Ultra is a good example. The flagship from 2021 doesn't have a great trade-in value in 2025. And if you waited for an upgrade opportunity until now, you may have waited too long. Here's what we found.

First things first, the most important rule when looking to trade in an old phone is to ensure that Samsung isn't offering a better no-trade-in deal that you're missing.

The best current example is the Galaxy S25 Ultra. If you want to exchange the Galaxy S21 Ultra for the new model at a discount, you can save $131 through the trade-in program.

That, however, would be the wrong move. If, instead, you take the no-trade-in route, Samsung's ongoing limited-time deal can save you a whopping $450. Samsung will pay you more if you don't trade in your Galaxy S21 Ultra.

With that in mind, we did find a few deals that are worth exploring in 2025. If you plan to upgrade your Galaxy S21 Ultra before the end of the year, these are some of your best options.

As you can see, options are very limited for Galaxy S21 Ultra users looking for an upgrade. And since Samsung USA no longer accepts phone trade-ins for tablet purchases at the moment, your only options are a handful of premium phones.

It's beginning to look like a $300 discount on some of the best phones on the market right now might be the best you'll ever get moving forward. Wait longer, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra will likely drop in value even more.