Most smartphones aren’t made to last. That is no surprise — slim frames don’t tend to hold up well against concrete and sharp car keys don’t do glass screens any favors. But there is planned obsolescence at play too: Batteries start to charge less quickly after hundreds of cycles, and old processors eventually struggle to keep up with new apps.
The good news is that Google has your back. The Google Store offers credit for used smartphones, the only caveat being that you’re stuck with the search giant’s limited device selection. If you’re in the market for a Pixel or Pixel XL, though, that might work to your advantage.
Here’s a guide to the Google Store trade-in program, and a full list of devices on offer.
The trade-in process
You need to decide which smartphone you want to buy from the Google Store before you start a trade-in. Luckily, Google makes it easy: Head to the Store’s homepage, click the “Browse” button and select “Phones” from the drop-down menu. From there, choose the handset you intend on purchasing and click the “Buy” button in the upper-right corner.
Here’s a list of smartphones available from the Google Store:
- Pixel
- Pixel XL
After you make your selection, pick a color, and decide on a storage capacity, you are ready to kick off the trade-in process.
From any Google Store product page, click the big “Trade in your phone” link and select “Begin trade in.” From there, you will be asked to choose your old phone’s manufacturer — as of publication time, Google accepts Apple, Samsung, LG, Google, Huawei, and Motorola devices.
After you have narrowed down your phone’s maker, you will see a list of devices eligible for trade-in. Choose yours, and then enter a few basic details about its condition. In addition to the storage capacity and carrier, you will have to specify whether the screen works properly and whether or not the phone turns on.
Here are the estimated trade-in values you can expect:
Apple:
- iPhone SE: $30-$143
- iPhone 6: $35-$143
- iPhone 6 Plus: $30-$183
- iPhone 6s: $42-$230
- iPhone 6s Plus: $40 – $264
- iPhone 7 Plus: $68-$388
Samsung:
- Galaxy Note 5: $61-150
- Galaxy S7: $52-$150
- Galaxy S7 edge: $40.40-$175
- Galaxy S8: $59.60-$305
- Galaxy S8+: $66-$345
Google (Huawei/Motorola):
- Nexus 6P: $113-165
- Nexus 5X: $82.50-$115
- Nexus 6: $35-$80
- Pixel 32GB: $150-$350
- Pixel 128GB: $160-$400
- Pixel XL 128GB: $162-$410
LG:
- LG G6: $35.20-$230
Once you confirm all the details and receive a trade-in valuation, you are ready to ship your old phone to Google. Click through the next few confirmation buttons and choose your preferred shipping address and within the next few days, you will get a trade-in kit from Google with a prepaid shipping label and an envelope.
You have 30 days to ship your phone and once Google receives it, it takes about five days to review. Assuming everything checks out, you will see the trade-in credit applied to the primary credit/debit card associated with your Google Store account.
Things to keep in mind
The Google Store’s trade-in process isn’t too complicated, but only if you heed the instructions.
- Wipe your phone of any personal data before you ship it — Google reserves the right not to pay for phones if they haven’t been factory reset. Don’t know how? Check out our guides to restoring Android and iOS devices.
- Don’t be surprised if you end up getting a smaller trade-in credit than you were quoted. Google says it may offer a lower price after evaluating your phone hands on.