Samsung Galaxy S 4 launch causes HTC and BlackBerry trade-ins spike

Smartphone trade-ins up 35 per cent after last week’s launch.
Last week’s launch of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 has led to a significant increase in the number of HTC and BlackBerry trade-ins, SellMyMobile.com has revealed.
The company’s data shows that overall smartphone trade-ins have risen by 35 per cent since the Galaxy S 4 was officially announced.
Yet, it appears to be HTC and BlackBerry users who are most enamoured by the new Samsung handset, with respective trade-in spikes of 82 per cent and 56 per cent recorded within days of the launch.
However, the unveiling of the Galaxy S 4 doesn’t seem to have convinced too many Apple fans to jump into bed with the enemy, with only a five per cent increase in iPhone trade-ins. This is in contrast to a 61 per cent rise in Apple trade-ins after the launch of the iPhone 5 last year.
While the official price of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 has yet to be confirmed, one recycler has already given the device a £300 trade-in price on SellMyMobile.com if people register to trade-in early, compared to £242 for a Samsung Galaxy S3.
The data from SellMyMobile.com also shows that Apple devices tend to be the best investment in terms of holding value over a long period of time, with Apple handsets accounting for three out of the top five most valuable phones.
Elsewhere, the value of Samsung’s Galaxy S2 has plummeted by 16 per cent over the past four weeks, and the Galaxy S3 has also dropped from £260 to £250 following last month’s MWC event.
In stark contrast, the iPhone 5 16GB has retained its trade in-value of £311, despite the arrival of a raft of new devices since.
Colin White, managing director at SellMyMobile.com, commented: “The rise in trade-ins of HTC and BlackBerry devices highlights the increasing rivalry between handset giants as consumers cash-in on the old in exchange for the new. But it’s interesting to see that despite the hype, we haven’t seen the same surge in trade-ins that we do with most Apple device launches.”
“With new devices launching so regularly, we often see tech-savvy consumers trading in their old handsets even before the new device hits the shops, as this is when trade-in values are at their highest. But with so many devices launching every month, prices fluctuate according to supply and demand. So if you’re looking to trade-in your old device, make sure you use a price comparison recycling site to guarantee you get the best deal, no matter which device you have.”

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