Last updated: January 15th, 2021 at 15:12 UTC+01:00

Galaxy S21 U.S. trade-in offers are amazing (if you own an S20)

On a scale from “bad value” to “free flagship upgrade”, the Galaxy S21 trade-in offers in the U.S. are… bordering on the latter, amazing. Well, if you own a Galaxy S20, that is. Regardless, the fact that Americans can get $700 in credit toward an $800 Galaxy S21 5G in exchange for a device that could not have cost them more than $1,000 isn’t something you see often.

Not to mention that every other person able to trade in their Galaxy S20 for a $100 Galaxy S21 upgrade probably didn’t pay the full retail price for their current smartphone, in the first place. Reading between the lines, don’t expect the Galaxy S20 range to linger in stores for as long as a typical premium device generation does.

Will we ever see a better year for Samsung trade-in deals?

Of course, the ultimate upgrade offers only apply to devices in impeccable condition. But even trade-in candidates with cracked screens can net you up to $550 from Samsung. And Samsung is offering *the worst* value stateside.

What’s more, T-Mobile has a potentially even better deal that can either net you an extra Galaxy S21 5G for free in a typical BOGO scheme – or allow you a free upgrade from way more than just Samsung’s latest flagships.

Even devices as old as the iPhone X, Galaxy S9, and the Galaxy Note 9 can hence be traded in with T-Mobile toward a free Galaxy S21 upgrade, or $800 off the price of another model from Samsung’s newest flagship line.

At the same time, AT&T is willing to accept Samsung flagships up to the Galaxy S10e in perfect condition in order to upgrade you for free (or last year’s Pixel, iPhone, LG, ASUS, or OnePlus flagships). And Verizon’s offers aren’t too shabby, either; see for yourself: