I just saved $850 on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 — here’s how

I only saved $850 on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 — here's how

(Prototype credit: Tom's Guide)

At this calendar week's Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung lifted the curtains on both the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3. Both phones saw price cuts from what previous versions costs, just the Z Fold three nonetheless saturday at a steep $ane,799. While the Z Fold 3 looking to retake the throne on our all-time foldable phones list (at that place's non a ton of competition) that high price keeps it out of reach for most consumers.

Merely upon looking at T-Mobile'southward Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 pre-guild page, I took a glance at devices that were eligible for trade-in. To get $1,000 in trade-in credit, the obvious contenders were there: iPhone xi Pro, Samsung Galaxy S21, OnePlus 8 Pro and other newer models. But eligible trade-in devices included some older models that withal fetched a generous render.

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In my case, that was the Samsung Milky way S9, a phone released more than iii years ago. It also seems that AT&T's Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 pre-order page is offering the same trade-in deal, but only for the Phantom Green and Phantom Silverish colors. Verizon's Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 pre-lodge page is also offering $one,000 for an S9 trade-in, but only for new lines.

The trade-in value seemed out of whack to me. How was it possible for three year-one-time telephone to net $1,000 in trade-in credit? For example, iPhones, which are known for holding value, don't approach that kind of retention. According to sold eBay listings, a 256GB iPhone XS Max is selling in the $350 range.

Getting a telephone to merchandise in for the Galaxy Z Fold 3

I jumped over to Facebook Marketplace to see what I'd take to pay for a used 64GB Galaxy S9. Most individual sellers were asking around $200. Merely I came beyond an S9 in good condition that cost $150. I shot over a message.

Turns out, the seller was not an individual, simply a local business in the Houston area. Since Houston is a large metropolitan area, there'southward a robust and competitive phones and electronics district. If you lot've ever ventured into a city in Asia, yous might notice that all sellers for a particular category besiege in one area. It'south kind of like that.

For Houston, this smartphones district is on Harwin Drive, a street west of downtown and slightly northward of Houston's vibrant Chinatown. There, I came upon Wireless Liquidation, a pocket-size but humble operation that likely supplies phones to budget-witting buyers or smaller independent sellers.

As I walked in, there were a shelves lined with accessories and phone boxes. I started talking with i of the employees there, and I explained to him T-Mobile's merchandise-in promotion. He looked at me in bemusement. But he was also curious. I bought a black Galaxy S9 for $150 (earlier taxation), and he requested I send him an update via Facebook afterward trading in the device.

Trading up for a Milky way Z Fold 3

At the nearby T-Mobile store, information technology seems I was the first person to walk in requesting a Galaxy Z Fold 3 pre-order. While the foldable phone has generated a decent amount of hype online, it clearly doesn't crusade the waves in demand that a new iPhone release would. (Actually, recent survey data shows that 44% of current U.S. iPhone owners plan on upgrading to the iPhone xiii. Galaxy S21 sales, by comparing, have been the worst in years, with sales reportedly existence 47% lower than the S10 series.)

The T-Mobile representative began processing my trade-in request. She was also surprised by the $1,000 trade-in credit offered, which would exist credited to my phone bills over a menstruum of a few months. She looked in the arrangement. If it weren't for the Z Fold 3 merchandise-in promotion, a 64GB Galaxy S9 would normally only internet $45 in credit.

After signing some paperwork, I was given a aircraft characterization to transport in my Galaxy S9, and had reserved a Phantom Green Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 for $950 (earlier revenue enhancement).]

In that location'southward "a desire to boost sales without resorting to outright discounts that erode perceived value," said Avi Greengart, founder and pb analyst at Techsponential in an email interview with Tom's guide. "And, for carriers, these deals about always include a service level requirement, an extended device payment term, or both."

For example, Samsung took the bold stride of allowing people to trade in up to four devices (upwardly to $800 total) toward a Z Fold three.

And remember, I'm beingness given $1,000 in beak credits, non a Visa gift card. Surely, an individual'south $100 phone plan does not cost the carrier that much.

In speaking to colleagues in tech journalism, our best guess was that Samsung was doing any information technology could to bring in new customers into the Milky way ecosystem. Its foldables requite consumers something they oasis't had before, which could help the company form a new loyal customer base, as information technology did with the Note serial. Plus, with the nearest competition being the 2019 Motorola Razr, there's not much else to switch to — at least non until the rumored Google Pixel Fold or iPhone Flip hit the market.

Leading upwardly to the launch of the Z Fold three, interviews I had done with industry experts said that large foldable phones would hit the sub-$1,000 marking in the next three years. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 has certainly hit that marker with a $999 starting cost. And cheers to this merchandise-in promo for the more than fully featured Galaxy Z Fold 3, I'll exist able to arrive on the foldable fun earlier 2025.

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Imad Khan is news editor at Tom's Guide, helping straight the day's breaking coverage. Prior to working at the site, Imad was a full-fourth dimension freelancer, with bylines at the New York Times, the Washington Mail and ESPN. Exterior of piece of work, you tin find him sitting blankly in front of a Word document trying badly to write the first pages of a new book.