Google's new trade in program can bag you up to $388 off a Pixel (Updated)

Update, 09/28: After Google announced its online store trade in program recently, it was only a matter of time before the Google Pixel and Pixel XL were added to the eligible device roster. This move precedes the upcoming unveiling of the Pixel 2 devices next Wednesday, with those handsets presumably being made available at the online store soon after launch.

The current Pixel trade in prices come in at the following:

• Pixel: $150-$360
• Pixel XL: $160-$410

These new offers also mean that the previous $388 maximum trade in value (from the iPhone 7 Plus) has now been upped to $410.

Though we’re still yet to learn how much the new Google Phones will cost, it looks like a Pixel or Pixel XL in good condition could contribute a little less than half of the money towards one of their new equivalents — should prices remain in a similar ballpark this year.

Original story, 09/22: Google has launched a trade in program via its online store ahead of the anticipated launch of the Google Pixel 2. The program allows customers to hand over an existing smartphone to save up to $388 on a Google Pixel or Pixel XL (though the Pixel 2 will likely be added once it’s available) from a list of eligible devices.

This is how it works: when you click the “Buy” button on the Google Pixel page at the Google Store, you will be taken to the configuration options (color, storage size etc) where you can click the “trade in your phone” button to visit the Trade In page. From here, you can select from one of the six manufacturers whose phones are currently available for trade in, and then proceed to select the individual device you wish to trade.

Finally, fill out the short phone details and condition form to see how much money your device is worth — the figure will depend on a number of factors like whether it’s unlocked, turns on, and is free of any cracks.

The manufacturers currently supported in the program are: Apple, Google, LG, Samsung, Motorola and HUAWEI, and of these, only a few smartphones are available for trade in. From HUAWEI and Motorola, for example, only the Nexus 6P and Nexus 6 are available.

Here is the full list of the current trade in devices, with their price ranges:

• Nexus 6: $35-$80
• Nexus 5X: $82.50-$115
• Nexus 6P: $113-165
• LG G6: $35.20-230
• Samsung Galaxy Note 5: $61-150
• Samsung Galaxy S7: $52-$150
• Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge: $40.40-$175
• Samsung Galaxy S8: $59.60-$305
• Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus: $66-$345
• iPhone 6: $35-$143
• iPhone 7 Plus: $68-$388
• iPhone SE: $30-$143

It’s a small and somewhat strange list of prices: no doubt few people would be willing to part with an iPhone 6 for just $35, especially since they can still be found being sold online for hundreds of dollars. It’s also odd to see that the LG G6, released with Android Nougat earlier this year, could be worth only as much as a Nexus 6 from 2014, or a little more than an iPhone SE, at the bottom end of the scale (though I accept that a broken phone is a broken phone).

It’s still very early days for the trade-in store — you’ll find some quirks there like the weirdly formed “does your screen work properly and is free of cracks?” question — and it’s likely to be improved over time. Nevertheless, the current offers might strike some as disappointing overall; I guess that’s the price you pay for convenience. Perhaps once the Google Pixel 2 arrives, sometime after its expected unveiling on October 4, things will improve.

To check out the trade-in offers for yourself, you can visit the Google Store here. Do you think Google is offering a fair price for the hardware? Let us know in the comments.