Galaxy S22 Ultra Remains the Most-Traded-in Android Phone in the US

A new report shows that Samsung’s 2022 flagship, the Galaxy S22 Ultra, continues to lead Android trade-ins in the US in 2025. What’s interesting is that it held the spot for six consecutive quarters. Meanwhile, when it comes to overall trade-ins, it’s the iPhone 13, which has been the top-traded device overall in every quarter of 2025.

Galaxy S22 Ultra continues to lead Android trade-ins in the US

In a new report, Assurant finds that mobile trade-in programs have returned over $6.4 billion to consumers in 2025. This is apparently a 42% jump over 2024. Of that, $2.2 billion came in Q4 2025 alone. This is the highest single-quarter on record, as people traded in their old phones and upgraded toward the end of the year.

iPhone 13 took the top spot in overall trade-ins. In fact, it held its place for the fourth straight quarter. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G was the top traded Android device, holding its place for the sixth straight quarter. The report also notes that this marks the first year when every device in the top five was 5G-enabled.

Upgrade cycles are lengthening

The report notes that the average age of Android phones traded in is now 3.96 years. Meanwhile, the average iPhone age is 3.8 years. This clearly indicates that users aren’t upgrading as quickly as they used to. The fourth quarter apparently marked a significant milestone for Android devices. For the first time across any smartphone category, the average age of Android devices at turn-in surpassed four years, hitting 4.1 years. This signals that the ownership cycles are lengthening.

This trend should push companies into offering better trade-in deals to encourage upgrades. It will also benefit customers who want to get some value for their old device when upgrading. In this case, Samsung is currently offering $160 for the Galaxy S22 Ultra when you trade in for the Galaxy S26 series, which includes the Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra 5G.