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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallAssurant reported that U.S. consumers received $1.24 billion in value through mobile trade-in and upgrade programs in Q1 2025, a 40% increase from Q1 2024. That was the value returned across the programs Assurant tracks—not a 40% rise in the price of every phone, and not necessarily cash paid directly to consumers. By August 18, 2026, the latest reported figure was $1.63 billion in Q1 2026, up 31% year over year.
What the 40% figure measures
Assurant announced the Q1 2025 result on May 28, 2025. Its $1.24 billion figure describes aggregate value returned to U.S. consumers through the mobile trade-in and upgrade programs it tracks. That value can include credits offered through carrier, retailer, manufacturer, or upgrade programs; it should not be read as cash handed to customers.
The figure compares Q1 2025 with Q1 2024. It does not measure every private sale, auction, or peer-to-peer transaction in the United States, nor does it show that an individual phone’s resale price rose 40%. Assurant’s Q1 2025 announcement is the source for the period total and comparison.
How the trend developed after Q1 2025
The 40% increase was an early sign of a broader rise in reported program value. Assurant’s later reports show increases through 2025 and into the first quarter of 2026:
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| Period | Reported value returned to U.S. consumers | Year-over-year change |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 2025 | $1.24 billion | 40% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.34 billion | 60% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.59 billion | 46% |
| Full year 2025 | More than $6.4 billion | 42% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.63 billion | 31% |
Sources: Q1 2025, Q2 2025, Q3 2025, full-year 2025, and Q1 2026 reports from Assurant.
Assurant reported that Q4 2025 alone generated $2.2 billion, its highest quarterly total, and that the 2025 full-year total exceeded $6.4 billion. These are reported program values, not a census of U.S. smartphone resale-market revenue. The reports do not provide an average dollar value per device, so the totals cannot establish how much a typical phone was worth.
Why trade-in activity and program value rose
Promotions can change the economics of upgrading
Assurant identified promotions as an important driver of trade-in activity. A carrier or retailer may offer a high advertised credit when a customer buys a particular phone, activates a new line, finances the device, or keeps an eligible plan. The credit may be delivered over time rather than as an immediate payment, so a promotion can raise the reported value returned without raising a phone’s standalone resale price by the same amount.
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New features and launch cycles provide reasons to upgrade
Assurant has linked upgrade activity to interest in AI-enabled phones and other new capabilities. That makes AI one possible contributor, not a proven sole or primary cause of the increase. Product launches, promotional timing, device affordability, and the quality of phones entering trade-in channels also matter. Assurant discussed AI interest in its 2024 annual trends report and 2025 annual report.
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People wait longer, then trade when the offer works
The average phone turned in was 3.82 years old in Q1 2025. For full-year 2025, Assurant reported average ages of 3.80 years for iPhones and 3.96 years for Android devices; Android phones passed four years on average in Q4. In Q1 2026, the average was 3.81 years. These figures show that higher program totals can coexist with longer ownership: a customer can delay upgrading, then trade in an older phone when a promotion makes replacement more affordable. See Assurant’s Q1 2025, 2025 annual, and Q1 2026 reports.
Household budgets can make credits more attractive
Assurant said macroeconomic uncertainty encouraged consumers to use trade-in programs and promotions. That is the company’s interpretation of activity, not proof that consumers generally began upgrading more often. A trade-in credit may instead make an otherwise expensive upgrade possible for someone who would have kept an older phone.
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Which phones are being turned in
The most frequently submitted models offer a view of program activity, not a ranking of the highest-value phones. Assurant reported the iPhone 13 as the most frequently traded-in device overall in every quarter of 2025 and for the fifth consecutive quarter in Q1 2026. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G led Android trade-ins through much of 2025; the Galaxy S23 Ultra took the Android lead in Q1 2026. The model rankings are in Assurant’s Q1 2025, 2025 annual, and Q1 2026 reports.
Among the five most frequently traded models in Q1 2025, 85% were 5G-capable, with the iPhone 11 the only 4G phone in that group, according to a Computer Weekly summary of Assurant’s report. Frequency reflects factors such as how many people own a model, promotion eligibility, and upgrade timing. It does not mean the most frequently traded phone has the highest trade-in value.
Why the aggregate increase is not a price increase for every phone
A program-wide total can grow for several reasons: more devices may be submitted, the mix may shift toward newer or premium phones, or promotions may offer larger credits. Changes in which programs participate can also affect the reported total. The available figures do not establish that every phone—or even the average individual phone—became 40% more valuable.
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Assurant’s figures describe its tracked trade-in and upgrade activity, drawing on its Device IQ analytics and broader industry insights. They are not an independently audited count of every U.S. transaction, and the reports do not specify a complete participating-carrier and retailer universe here. Treat them as an indicator of activity in those programs, not as the total size of the U.S. used-phone market.
Trade-in or private sale: compare what you actually keep
| Option | Potential advantage | Costs and trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| Trade-in program | Usually a simpler transaction, often integrated into a purchase, and may include a promotional bonus or accept some damaged devices. | The best advertised amount may require a specific phone purchase, plan, or new line. Credits may arrive as bill credits over time and can depend on keeping service. |
| Private sale | A popular, unlocked phone in good condition may attract a higher gross price, and the seller chooses the asking price. | Requires listing, answering questions, negotiating, and arranging payment and delivery. Fees, shipping, returns, disputes, and fraud risk reduce the net proceeds. |
Compare the trade-in’s guaranteed value with a private sale’s likely net proceeds—not with the private listing price. Include platform fees, shipping, time, and the chance of a dispute. A trade-in can be financially sensible even when its nominal credit is lower if it avoids significant effort or risk.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to judge a trade-in offer
Before accepting an offer, identify the device and the conditions attached to the credit. The same model can receive different values depending on storage, condition, carrier status, promotion, and timing.
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- Confirm the exact device: model, storage capacity, and carrier or unlocked status.
- Read the condition criteria: check whether the display and touch layer work, and whether the program evaluates battery health, liquid damage, cameras, speakers, microphones, buttons, charging port, or biometric hardware.
- Check account and device eligibility: activation lock must be removed; the program may also check IMEI or serial number, lost-or-stolen status, and unpaid installment balance.
- Find the form of payment: distinguish an immediate discount, bill credit, gift card, or later payment. For bill credits, calculate the total only over the period you expect to remain eligible.
- Calculate the full upgrade cost: include the new phone’s installment obligation, taxes, activation fees, and any plan change or new-line requirement.
- Separate guaranteed value from a conditional maximum: check whether the quote depends on inspection, a purchase, or promotion deadlines, and whether a revised offer can be rejected.
Carrier, retailer, and manufacturer terms differ and can change quickly. A headline promotional value may be far higher than a standalone trade-in quote, but only if the buyer meets the specific offer requirements.
Prepare the phone and protect the credit
- Back up and transfer first. Save photos, contacts, messages, authenticator data, and other files. Move the phone number, mobile plan, and eSIM to the replacement device.
- Remove account locks and payment access. Sign out of Apple or Google accounts, disable Find My iPhone or equivalent activation-lock protection, and remove payment cards and transit passes from the device wallet.
- Confirm the backup before erasing. Factory-reset only after verifying that the backup and transfer worked. Menu labels differ by operating-system version.
- Document the handoff. Photograph the phone’s condition and serial number, save the quote and promotion terms, and retain packaging photos, the shipping receipt, and tracking number.
- Follow the program’s packing instructions. Do not send accessories unless the program specifically requests them.
- Track inspection and approval. A quote can change if inspection finds a mismatch or damage. Check the vendor’s rules for revised offers, rejection, and return windows before shipping.
Do not assume the credit is final just because the phone has been mailed. Keep your old device and working line arrangements intact until the replacement is active and the trade-in has been received and approved, where practical.
What a lower inspection offer or rejection can mean
A preliminary quote can be conditional on the device matching the declared model and condition. Inspection may reduce the offer or reject a phone because of damage, activation lock, carrier restrictions, or inaccurate information. Some programs let customers reject a revised amount and request the device back; others set different deadlines and shipping responsibilities. Read the exact vendor terms and keep records before sending the phone.
Examples illustrate why a quote is not universal: one program may accept a cracked back with a functioning screen under a damaged-device promotion while another rejects it; a paid-off but carrier-locked device may receive less than an unlocked equivalent. Activation lock can prevent a phone from being resold even if its hardware works.
What the rise means for used phones and sustainability
More trade-ins can send a larger supply of recent phones into refurbishment and resale channels, giving buyers more potential sources of pre-owned devices. But the reported totals alone do not establish how many devices were refurbished, reused, recycled, or kept in service, nor do they quantify environmental savings. Those outcomes depend on what happens to each device after collection.
For a consumer, the practical implication is financial rather than environmental: a trade-in can lower the effective cost of an upgrade, but it is only a good deal if the total credit is worth the purchase and plan obligations. If a phone still meets your needs, keeping it—or considering repair—may be less costly than upgrading.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
