The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are more expensive, which means good trade-in values are more important than ever. But, after some underwhelming initial trade-in values, the Google Store and Best Buy have only further lowered how much you’ll get toward a shiny new Pixel 8.
Trade-in deals have become pretty much the standard across most smartphone brands, with heightened values for older hardware designed to help customers jump onto the latest and greatest. Often, this is pretty attractive. For example, last year, Google Pixel 6 customers could briefly upgrade to the Pixel 7 for a mere $20.
Top comment by PixelFan
I am really surprised this is even a topic. This is the same cycle every year, with every manufacturer. During the pre-order period, they all enhance their trade in values to entice folks to switch. And that always goes back to not so great after that period. Then when they have periods where they want to do more promotions, they will enhance those again.
What I think people forget, trade ins are never supposed to be a great value. They were put in place for manufacturers to fill up their stock with phones for refurbished pieces and parts, and create a convenience for the customer. However, customers can always sell the phones themselves and get more money and deal with that process. This is same as car trade ins, you will never get the value what you would by selling it yourself.
Again, trade ins are convenience, nothing else. Something you can take advantage of when there is a good one, but other times you can't. If people really want the new phone, and they don't like the trade in, they can always sell their old phone themselves.
But, this time around, values weren’t so great. As of October 4, the Google Store was offering a maximum trade-in value of $420 for the Pixel 7 Pro for customers looking to move to the Pixel 8 Pro. Some values were better, such as $250+ for 2019’s Pixel 4 series. But, on the whole, it wasn’t all that impressive. Best Buy was a saving grace at the time, offering up to $130 more for last-gen Pixels in some cases.
Now, that’s ending, as both the Google Store and Best Buy have drastically lowered trade-in values towards the Pixel 8 series. The max payout for a 128GB Pixel 7 Pro, as one example, is now just $274. There’s also no longer a boost when trading toward a Pixel 8 Pro versus a Pixel 8, as has been the case since October 4.
You can see how things have changed in the breakdown below.
| Pixel 8 & Pixel 8 Pro (10/17) | Pixel 8 (10/4) | Pixel 8 Pro (10/4) | Best Buy (10/17) | Best Buy(10/4) | |
| Pixel 7 Pro | $274 | $385 | $420 | $300 | $550 |
| Pixel 7 | $200 | $325 | $325 | $200 | $450 |
| Pixel 6 Pro | $150 | $385 | $400 | $155 | $355 |
| Pixel 6 | $115 | $325 | $325 | $115 | $315 |
| Pixel 6a | $105 | $300 | $300 | $100 | $300 |
| Pixel 5 | $80 | $300 | $300 | $65 | $265 |
| Pixel 4a | $48 | $200 | $200 | $45 | $245 |
| Pixel 4 | $45 | $250 | $250 | $45 | $245 |
| Pixel 4 XL | $63 | $260 | $260 | $65 | $265 |
| Pixel 3 | $30 | $200 | $200 | $25 | $25 |
| Galaxy S23 Ultra | $410 | $650 | $650 | $450 | $600 |
| Galaxy S23 | $295 | $550 | $550 | $260 | $300 |
| Galaxy 22 Ultra | $245 | $500 | $520 | $255 | $455 |
| Galaxy S22 | $150 | $400 | $400 | $155 | $370 |
| Galaxy S21 Ultra | $145 | $410 | $430 | $160 | $370 |
| iPhone 14 Pro Max | $470 | $750 | $750 | $650 | $650 |
| iPhone 14 Pro | $420 | $620 | $620 | $570 | $570 |
| iPhone 13 Pro Max | $452 | $650 | $650 | $580 | $920 |
| iPhone 14 | $330 | $550 | $550 | $430 | $430 |
| iPhone 13 | $286 | $500 | $500 | $370 | $670 |
| Galaxy Z Fold 4 | $314 | $314 | $314 | $400 | $430 |
| Galaxy Z Flip 4 | $180 | $180 | $180 | $170 | $190 |
| OnePlus 10 Pro | $74 | $74 | $74 | $125 | $240 |
Trade-in values tend to fluctuate a lot throughout the year, particularly as holiday sales come and go. For instance, Google raised values quite a bit last year around Black Friday, and we’re expecting similar behavior this time around.
More on Google Pixel:
- Google Pixel 8 Pro Initial Review: It’s all coming together
- Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro’s faster charging lasts longer into the charging cycle too
- New Google Pixel app tries to help you figure out why your phone is so hot
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