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The Galaxy S25 marks the latest addition to Samsung’s flagship portfolio. In the lead-up to the launch of the S25, we analysed on-site trade-in prices of the past four generations of Galaxy S series (S21, S22, S23, and S24) to gain insights into how well these models retained their value during their first year on the market and what the first 12 months for the S25 might look like.
In the smartphone realm, Samsung and Apple hold the largest market share and it’s only reasonable to compare the two in terms of offering and value retention which appears to be improving for the Galaxy S lineup.
We’ve taken average trade-in prices across the entire four generations of Galaxy S series and we found that:
Since the S22 lineup, the first year depreciation has been slowing down for Samsung flagships: S22 depreciated by 60%, S23 by 59% and S24 by 58%.
In comparison, even though average iPhone 15 series vs iPhone 14 series depreciation isn’t as significant as that of Samsung flagships, it has increased from 47.80% to 55.57% in one generation.
We predicted that the iPhone 16 lineup might reach 60% value drop in its first 12 months on the market. Meaning that Samsung Galaxy S25 might close the value retention gap with its main rival.
| Model | RRP | First 12M depreciation £ | First 12M depreciation % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S24 Plus 512GB | £1,099.00 | - £701.00 | 64% |
| Galaxy S23 Ultra 1TB | £1,599.00 | -£1,014.00 | 63% |
| Galaxy S21 Plus 5G 256GB | £999.00 | -£626.00 | 63% |
| Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G 128GB | £1,149.00 | -£709.06 | 62% |
| Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G 512GB | £1,329.00 | -£822.90 | 62% |
| Galaxy S24 Plus 256GB | £999.00 | -£617.67 | 62% |
At first glance, the highest capacity models have encountered the most significant value loss. This can be explained with the fact that 512GB and 1TB variants are the most expensive to buy, hence being less popular among consumers. Similarly, we’re observing high depreciation among Plus models of the Galaxy S range. This is to take notice of if you’re looking to buy an S25 - avoid high capacity models and think carefully whether the Plus model is a good blend of value retention and offering.
The Galaxy S24 Plus 512GB lost the most value in its first year. By the end of first year post release, the average resale price being offered was a huge £701 less than its retail price, giving a depreciation of 64%. At the moment, you can trade your Galaxy S24 Plus 512GB for up to £366.
Taking a look at older models, the Galaxy S23 Ultra 1TB and S21 Plus 5G 256GB came out as the second worst Galaxy models for holding their value, losing 63% in the first 12 months.
The Galaxy S22 lineup lost the most value of all 4 generations analysed, with an average of 60% depreciation in the first year. In the run up to Galaxy S25 release, the S22 models can be traded in for up to £301.
| Model | RRP | First 12M depreciation £ | First 12M depreciation % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S21 5G 128GB | £769.00 | -£411.57 | 54% |
| Galaxy S24 Ultra 256GB | £1,249.00 | -£677.54 | 54% |
| Galaxy S24 Ultra 512GB | £1,349.00 | -£743.08 | 55% |
| Galaxy S24 256GB | £859.00 | -£475.30 | 55% |
| Galaxy S21 5G 256GB | £819.00 | -£452.83 | 55% |
| Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 128GB | £1,149.00 | -£628.71 | 55% |
| Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 512GB | £1,149.00 | -£635.57 | 55% |
Don’t get us wrong, losing half of its value in just 12 months is nothing to be joyful about, but this is sadly the trend we’ve been observing over the years, so any model that is an outlier is worth shouting about. The Galaxy S21 series in general was a good buy with average depreciation of 57% across the range, and the 128GB in particular dropped by 54% or £411.57 during the first 12 months on the market. Another model that weathered its first year really well is the Galaxy S24 Ultra 256GB declining by £677.54, and currently it can fetch you up to £516.
What we can learn from this is that Galaxy S Ultra variants and base models retain over 45% of their value and given that the biggest depreciation hit happens in the first year post release, these models are likely to continue holding their value the best. Samsung’s commitment to support the S24 lineup with software and security updates for 7 years, it has visibly added value to the range and finally Samsung flagships evened the battlefield with iPhone on this front. It is safe to assume that the S25 series will follow in the footsteps of its predecessors and depreciate even slower - by 57% on average or less by the time the 2026 Galaxy S lineup comes out.
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