Currently, there is growing controversy in the USA regarding the trade-in prices offered by Google with the launch of their new devices. Google has just unveiled its new Pixel 9 series, including the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. These devices are positioned to compete directly with top-tier flagships like the Apple iPhone 15 and Samsung Galaxy S24 series, both in terms of features and pricing. However, when it comes to trade-in offers, Google’s US strategy seems lacking, as pointed out by PhoneArena. According to their research, Google is offering just US$ 760 for trading in a Google Pixel Fold towards the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which is priced at US$ 1,800. The situation appears even worse in Europe, where the trade-in value reportedly drops to US$ 630.
But are Google’s trade-in prices in Europe really as low as mentioned by PhoneArena? We decided to investigate this, particularly in the Netherlands, our reference country. Interestingly, Google never sold the Pixel Fold in the Netherlands, so it is impossible to trade in this specific device. For context, Google’s trade-in program in Europe is operated by PCS Wireless, which handles the process of sending out trade-in kits Google’s behalf., validating returned devices, and reselling them.
To further explore, we compared Google’s trade-in values with those offered by the Dutch operator KPN, whose trade-in scheme is run by French company Recommerce. Both Google and KPN offer additional bonuses—funded by Google—when a customer trades in a device and purchases a new Google Pixel. In our case, we simulated buying a new Google Pixel 9 (256GB) and offered three devices for trade-in: a used Apple iPhone 13 (128GB), a Samsung Galaxy S23 (128GB), and a Google Pixel 8 (128GB).
KPN total | Trade in KPN | Extra bonus | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
iPhone 13/128GB/A | € 390 | € 355 | € 205 | € 150 |
Galaxy S23/128GB/A | € 325 | € 372 | € 222 | € 150 |
Pixel 8/128GB/A | € 366 | € 381 | € 231 | € 150 |
Conclusion
In our sample, Google’s trade-in prices were lower than KPN’s in two out of three cases. However, the difference is not as significant as in PhoneArena’s findings in the US. Notably, Google is quite generous when it comes to the Apple iPhone, offering a 10% higher trade-in value compared to KPN. For the other two devices, KPN offers an average of 6.5% higher trade-in value.
Market
Trade-in
Repair
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