Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra launched at $1,199.99 in early 2023. By October 2026, a like-new 256GB model drew a top cash buyback offer of $291, while the average completed sale price on Swappa reached $404. This represents an $113 gap between convenience and maximum returns.
Consumers have three main options: selling to buyback sites offers convenience with lower payouts, direct consumer sales via Swappa yield the most cash but require handling logistics, and trading in with Samsung provides credit toward new devices. Samsung recently raised the Galaxy S26 Ultra's starting price to $1,399.99 amid rising memory costs, though older flagships still offer several years of software updates. Sell Cell's price comparison shows the S24 Ultra (256GB) at $449 top offer, the S23 Ultra at $291, and the S22 Ultra at $196.
Notably, the older S20 Ultra (128GB) still commands $136. Foldables depreciate faster; the Z Fold6 (256GB) attracted $512 top offers versus $657 average Swappa prices. Samsung promises seven generations of OS upgrades for the S24 series, with support running into early 2031.
The S23 series expects security patches until early 2028, and the S22 series until early 2027. Where should you sell your old Samsung phone? Sell Cell compares cash offers, while Back Market's buyback program pays into bank accounts after inspection. Swappa might yield higher returns for those willing to handle shipping and its three percent seller fee plus payment processing fees, though it requires fully paid-off phones with clean IMEI and no cracked glass or water damage.
Source: Engadget · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing