The Trend That's Turning Heads Right Now
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra launched in January 2026 and did something unusual: it actually pushed S24 Ultra trade-in values up by roughly 8% in the first two weeks after announcement. That's not a typo. Demand from buyers who wanted last year's flagship at a discount spiked hard on the refurbished market, and recyclers responded by raising their buy prices to secure stock. We track this data every day at OnRecycle, and this kind of counter-intuitive spike doesn't happen often.
It didn't last, of course. By mid-February, S24 Ultra values had corrected back down, settling around 12% below their pre-announcement peak. But that two-week window was genuinely lucrative for anyone paying attention. The lesson? Launch season creates volatility, and volatility creates opportunity - if you know where to look.
Right now, in March 2026, we're sitting in what the industry informally calls the "post-launch lull." The big S25 hype has settled, the iPhone 17 is still months away, and Google's Pixel 10 series isn't expected until October. That makes this one of the more predictable moments in the annual cycle - which is actually useful information if you're deciding when to sell.
Which Phones Are Holding Their Value Best in 2026?
Apple continues to dominate value retention, full stop. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is currently fetching between £520 and £620 in good condition through the recyclers we compare - that's a phone that launched at £1,199 in September 2023, holding around 50% of its original retail price nearly two and a half years later. That's exceptional by any measure.
The reason isn't magic. Apple controls software updates tightly, pushing iOS 19 to the iPhone 15 series without hesitation. That longevity matters enormously to the refurbished market, because a buyer knows they're getting several more years of support. Recyclers price accordingly.
Samsung's Galaxy S25 series is holding well too, but for different reasons. The S25 Ultra in particular benefits from the AI features baked into One UI 7 - Galaxy AI has become a genuine selling point in the refurb market, not just a marketing line. We're seeing S25 Ultra 256GB models quoted between £680 and £780 right now for near-mint condition handsets, which is strong for a phone that's only two months old.
Google's Pixel 9 Pro is the surprise performer of this analysis. Pixel devices historically tanked fast on the secondary market - a reputation Google has been steadily dismantling. The Pixel 9 Pro is currently trading between £390 and £480 for 128GB models in excellent condition, and the seven-year update promise has genuinely changed how recyclers value these phones. It's not at iPhone levels, but it's a meaningful improvement on where Pixel stood two years ago.
Which Phones Are Losing Value Fastest Right Now?
The Samsung Galaxy S23 series is in freefall, and it's worth understanding why. The S25 launch didn't just pull attention away from the S24 - it effectively made the S23 feel two generations old overnight. The S23 Ultra, which was fetching around £380 in December 2025, is now quoted between £270 and £320. That's a drop of roughly 16% in under three months.
If you're sitting on an S23 or S23+, the window to sell at a decent price is narrowing. Our honest read: you've probably got until late spring before another leg down, especially if Samsung announces anything at its next Unpacked event that refreshes buyer attention toward newer hardware.
The iPhone 14 series tells a similar story. The iPhone 14 Pro Max, which held above £400 well into 2025, is now consistently quoted between £290 and £360. With the iPhone 17 expected in September 2026, that price is going to soften further through the summer as anticipation builds and older-model demand dries up. If you have a 14 Pro or 14 Pro Max gathering dust, selling in April or May gives you a meaningfully better outcome than waiting until August.
Mid-range Android is arguably the toughest place to be right now. Phones like the Samsung Galaxy A54, the Motorola Edge 40 and the OnePlus 11 are trading at £80 to £150 at best. The refurbished mid-range market is flooded, margins are thin for recyclers, and prices reflect that. There's no meaningful upside to waiting on these - sell now if you're going to sell at all.
What's Actually Driving These Price Movements?
Four things are moving the market right now, and they're all operating simultaneously.
First, new launches. The S25 series has reshuffled the entire Samsung value stack, as every new flagship does. The knock-on effect runs all the way down: S24 values drop, which pushes S23 values lower still, which makes S22 models nearly worthless on the secondary market. This cascade effect is predictable and happens every single year.
Second, seasonal demand. January and February are historically strong months for recyclers because people sell Christmas gifts they don't want and use the cash toward new devices. That demand has now passed. March and April tend to see softer buy prices as recycler stock levels normalise. According to data from the charity Material Focus, UK consumers collectively hoard around 125 million unused electrical items at home - phones make up a significant chunk of that, and the post-Christmas flush is one of the biggest seasonal release valves.
Third, the refurbished market is maturing fast. Platforms like Back Market and Decluttr have grown their UK customer bases substantially over the past two years, and that broader consumer appetite for refurbs has raised the ceiling on what recyclers will pay for premium-condition handsets. A pristine iPhone 15 Pro is worth meaningfully more than a scratched one right now - the gap between "good" and "excellent" condition has widened to as much as £60 to £80 on high-end models.
Fourth, supply chain stabilisation. The component shortages that distorted the market in 2022 and 2023 are largely resolved. That means new phone supply is healthy, which actually suppresses trade-in values slightly - when new phones are readily available, there's less urgency to buy refurb.
Realistic Price Ranges for Popular Models in March 2026
These are the ranges we're seeing quoted across the recyclers on our platform right now, for handsets in good working condition with no cracked screens. "Excellent" condition typically adds 10-15% to these figures.
iPhone 16 Pro Max (256GB): £700-£820. Still strong. Wait for autumn only if you're prepared to hold until after the iPhone 17 launch in September, at which point you'll likely see a sharp correction.
iPhone 16 (128GB): £410-£490. Solid mid-tier value. The standard iPhone 16 holds up well because it appeals to a wide refurb buyer base.
iPhone 15 Pro Max (256GB): £520-£620. Impressive retention for a phone approaching two and a half years old. Sell before summer to catch the best of this window.
iPhone 15 (128GB): £290-£360. Decent but softening. The iPhone 17 announcement will hit this harder than most.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (256GB): £680-£780. Early days, values are stable. Expect gradual decline through 2026.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (256GB): £480-£560. Post-spike correction has settled. This is roughly fair value for now.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (256GB): £270-£320. Declining. Sell sooner rather than later.
Google Pixel 9 Pro (128GB): £390-£480. The strongest Pixel has ever looked on the secondary market.
Google Pixel 8 Pro (128GB): £220-£290. Reasonable but expect pressure when Pixel 10 lands in October.
These figures shift week to week. The only way to see what you'll actually be offered today is to get a quote and compare live offers side by side.
How to Time Your Sale for Maximum Value
The single most valuable thing we can tell you is this: sell before the announcement, not after. Most people do it the other way around, holding their old phone until the new one arrives in their hands. By then, the market has already priced in the new launch and your trade-in value has taken the hit.
For iPhone sellers, the sweet spot is June to early August - before Apple's September event. Historically, iPhone trade-in values drop 15-25% in the weeks immediately following a new launch announcement. Selling in July rather than October on an iPhone 15 Pro Max could realistically mean £80 to £120 more in your pocket.
For Samsung sellers, watch the Unpacked calendar closely. Samsung typically announces its S-series in late January or early February. Selling your S-series phone in November or December - before the announcement - consistently delivers better returns than waiting. We see this pattern play out every year without fail.
For Pixel sellers, Google's October launch window is your anchor point. Selling a Pixel 9 or Pixel 8 in August, before the Pixel 10 announcement, is almost certainly going to yield a better price than waiting until November.
Condition matters more than most people realise. A phone quoted at £500 in "good" condition might fetch £560 or more in "excellent" condition from the same recycler. Spending £15 on a professional screen clean and presenting the phone with its original box can shift it from one condition tier to another. That's not gaming the system - recyclers genuinely pay more for handsets that are easier to resell.
Also, don't assume your network's trade-in offer is competitive. Carrier trade-in programmes are convenient but rarely the best price. From the thousands of comparisons run through our platform, we consistently see independent recyclers beating carrier offers by 20-40% on premium handsets. That's a significant sum on a £500+ device.
Check What Your Phone Is Worth Right Now
Market analysis is useful context, but it doesn't tell you what your specific phone will actually fetch today. Prices vary by recycler, condition grade, storage size and sometimes even the colour of the handset (yes, really - some colourways are more in demand on the refurb market than others).
The fastest way to find out is to sell your phone through OnRecycle's comparison tool. You enter your model and condition, and we pull live quotes from dozens of recyclers simultaneously - no haggling, no multiple browser tabs, no guesswork. It takes about 90 seconds and you're under no obligation to accept any offer.
We've been doing this since 2010, and the one thing we'd stake our reputation on is that comparing prices always beats going with the first offer you see. The spread between the lowest and highest recycler quote for a popular phone is often £50 to £100 or more. That's money left on the table if you don't check.
If you want to dig deeper into timing, condition tips or specific model guides, our blog covers all of it in detail. But if you're ready to act, start with a live quote today - March 2026 is a reasonable moment in the cycle, and for several models, it's better than what's coming by summer.