Samsung users are getting access to new AI tools via the One UI 8.5 update that’s rolling out to millions of Galaxy phones this month and next. However, it is looking increasingly likely that the Galaxy S23 series won’t be getting the same treatment, and that might affect the phone’s trade-in price when it’s time to upgrade.
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Trade In Your Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Before The Price Drops
If you want to make use of enhanced Photo Assist, Audio Eraser, Creative Studio, and Call Screening, you’ll need to be using the Galaxy S24 or later. It looks likely that Samsung’s One UI 8.5 rollout means the Galaxy S23 series—alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5—won’t receive the newest AI tools that originally launched with the Galaxy S26.
That doesn’t mean the Galaxy S23 Ultra is being left completely behind. Samsung has already given the S23 series major Galaxy AI upgrades in previous updates, including Generative Edit, Note Assist, Browsing Assist, Transcript Assist, and the newly intelligent Bixby.
But the recent AI-toolkit exclusion might be a bad omen for the Galaxy S23 Ultra and older Samsung phones when it comes to trade-in prices. Combined with the Galaxy S23 being in the sunset of its promised OS update window, it might be time to sell the phone while it still holds some value.
Right now, Samsung will pay $400 for a Galaxy S23 Ultra in working condition when buying the Galaxy S26 Ultra. That is $90 less than the Galaxy S24 and, ultimately, an okay price for a three-year-old flagship.
Compare that to the $260 price of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which won’t receive the latest batch of AI tools and is just outside of the Android update window (although it still has nine months of security patches left). Despite being only one year older than the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the difference between the trade-in price of a supported Samsung Galaxy phone and an unsupported one is clear.
There’s also some historical evidence that shows how those prices will change depending on software support. Soon after the Galaxy Z Flip 5G fell out of support, Samsung only offered $100 for the phone when traded in. That price matched the Note 10, several A-series devices, and cheap wearables.
It’s the same with the Note 20 and Galaxy S20 Ultra. Both were released in the same year but fetched different amounts when buying the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Last year, Samsung valued the handset at $155, whereas the Note 20 Ultra was priced at $180. The difference? The Note 20 was still receiving security patches while the S20 Ultra was not.
Look Out For Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Trade-in Deals
In February 2025, I wrote about Samsung offering eye-wateringly high prices for used phones. Here’s what Samsung offered for your used phone when buying the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It’s worth noting that these were promotional prices, but they were held for a while and repeated several times:
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra – $500 (selling for under $250 on the secondary market at the time)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra – $600 (selling on the secondary market for under $200 at the time)
- Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus – $400 (selling on the secondary market for between $200 and $250 at the time)
When the Galaxy S26 Ultra launched, Samsung was offering $650 for the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The current $400 may be the base price. So, if you’re happy to wait for a few weeks or months, you might net a further $250. But if you wait too long, that price may crater after the device loses support.
It is also interesting that during a promotional period, Samsung offered a high of $650 for the Galaxy S23 Ultra. But now that One UI 8.5 is out—confirming a clear dividing line for certain Galaxy AI features—the price has dropped to $400. We will have to see if that value spikes again during summer sales, but is running a Galaxy S26 Ultra deal right now and the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s price has remained at $400.
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