Samsung wants to buy your old smartphone, but unlike its usual trade-in programs, its newly launched Galaxy Easy Reward program doesn’t require you to buy a new phone at all. With it, Samsung is taking on the various phone recycling and used device centers that purchase your old phone, saving you the effort of selling it privately.
Galaxy Easy Reward goes online in Korea on January 14, and the range of phones Samsung will buy is extensive. Starting out with the Galaxy S20 series, Samsung will also buy back the S21, S22, and S23 series, along with the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Z Fold 4, and Galaxy Z Fold 5. It closes out the list with the Galaxy Z Flip 3, Galaxy Z Flip 4, and Galaxy Z Flip 5. The latest Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy Z Fold 6, and Galaxy Z Flip 6 aren’t included.
How much the phone is worth depends on the condition, and it appears the Galaxy Easy Reward system will initially provide an estimate, and will finalize the price once the device has been returned. It will grade phones in an unusual way too, with either “Excellent” or “Good” presumably meaning the phone can be resold, and the final “Recycle” grade meaning the phone will be broken down for parts.
It also seems Samsung will buy non-Samsung devices, but the wording isn’t clear in the translated Korean press release. Why has Samsung launched the Galaxy Easy Reward program? A quote from Samsung Electronics’ Vice President Jung Ho-jin explains:
“We expect this program to increase the long-term value of Galaxy products and contribute to the circular economy,” he said.
The Apple iPhone is well-known for retaining its value on the used market compared to most other smartphones, and it appears Samsung wants to give its phones a boost. A top-spec, mint condition iPhone 16 Plus trades for up to $763 according to used device buyer SellCell, while a Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus fetches up to $613. By increasing the phone’s used value, Samsung likely hopes to tempt more buyers to its brand-new phones.
The Galaxy Easy Reward program will first launch in Korea, but the press release states it will expand to other regions in the future.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
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Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
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