Samsung has just announced the launch in France of its new “Galaxy Trade-In” program, marking the start of a European expansion of its smartphone trade-in service.
In South Korea, Samsung already hada fairly advantageous smartphone trade-in programand the latter is now extended to France. The main advantage of this program lies in its flexibility: users can now resell their Galaxy devices directly through the Samsung website, without the obligation to purchase a new phone. This approach stands out significantly from the old system which conditioned the trade-in on the purchase of a new model.
To manage this program, Samsung has partnered with Likewize, a company specializing in after-sales services and mobile device management. Jun Kim, executive vice president of Samsung MX, emphasizes that this initiative aims to “ enrich the value of Galaxy devices for users while contributing to a circular economy ».
What Galaxy models are eligible?
The program currently covers a selection of high-end models, including the Galaxy S series (from S20 to S23) and foldable smartphones (from Z Flip 3 to Z Flip 5, as well as Z Fold 3 to Z Fold 5). This list could change depending on the markets and periods, but it should be noted that the company’s newer smartphones don’t appear to be eligible.
The timing of this launch is not trivial, occurring a few weeks before the expected presentation of the Galaxy S25 series. Samsung thus seems to want to facilitate the renewal of devices while offering a responsible solution for old models.
With such a program, Samsung could help strengthen the residual value of its devices in the long term. iPhones have historically been better at talking about their value after purchase, but such a move could reshuffle the cards. The program is expected to expand to other European countries during 2025, France serving as a test market for the continental deployment.
For French consumers, this new system therefore offers an official and secure alternative for the resale of their Galaxy smartphones, with the guarantee of a transaction supervised directly by the manufacturer. We now hope not to see the bad practices of the usual resale sites noted recently by Numerama.
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