Foldable Phone Resale Value: Are Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and Flip Worth It?
When you unfold a smartphone into a tablet for the first time, the premium price tag makes sense. The technology feels like a massive leap forward. You are paying for a piece of the future, and that innovation does not come cheap.
But the real test of any expensive piece of hardware is what happens when you try to sell it. A phone that costs $1,800 or more at launch is a major investment. If the market doesn’t value that innovation secondhand, your true cost of ownership is going to be much higher than you planned.
To find out exactly what happens to that investment, we pulled live pricing data from the SmartphonesPLUS feed. We looked at five generations of Samsung foldables to track how the market treats them over time. By comparing the original launch prices against current trade-in offers, we can see the real foldable phone resale value for every model.
The trade-in values in this article are pulled from the SmartphonesPLUS live pricing feed and reflect offers available at the time of writing. Prices update regularly, so your actual offer may differ.
How Fast Do Foldables Lose Their Value?
The table compares current SmartphonesPLUS offers with each phone’s original starting price. The retained percentage was calculated on July 29, 2026, and won’t update automatically with the live price.
| Samsung Model | Launch Price | Age | Current Offer | Value Retained |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy Z Fold7 | $1,999 | About 12 months | $695 | 34.8% |
| Galaxy Z Fold6 | $1,899 | About 24 months | $449 | 23.6% |
| Galaxy Z Fold5 | $1,799 | About 36 months | $296 | 16.5% |
| Galaxy Z Fold4 | $1,799 | About 47 months | $180 | 10% |
| Galaxy Z Fold3 | $1,799 | About 59 months | $126 | 7% |
| Galaxy Z Flip7 | $1,099 | About 12 months | $391 | 35.5% |
| Galaxy Z Flip6 | $1,099 | About 24 months | $236 | 21.5% |
| Galaxy Z Flip5 | $999 | About 36 months | $166 | 16.6% |
| Galaxy Z Flip4 | $999 | About 47 months | $87 | 8.7% |
| Galaxy Z Flip3 | $999 | About 59 months | $36 | 3.6% |
Samsung’s launch announcement confirms the Fold7 launched at $1,999.99 and the Flip7 at $1,099.99, with both available from July 25, 2025.
At about one year, the Fold7 and Flip7 are nearly tied. The Fold7 has retained about 35% of its launch price. The Flip7 has retained about 36%
At three years, the Fold5 and Flip5 are also close at around 16%. In simple terms, a foldable bought for $1,000 would be worth roughly $160 if it followed the same pattern.
Why Foldables Can Lose Value Quickly
The live data shows that foldables can lose a large share of their original price within a few years. The pricing feed can show us the change, but it can’t prove exactly why buyers pay less for older models.
A few practical concerns may help explain foldable phone depreciation.
Buyers May Worry About Long-Term Wear
A foldable has a hinge and a flexible inner display. Used buyers may worry about how those parts will hold up after years of opening and closing.
Even when a device works well today, that added uncertainty can lower foldable phone resale value. A standard glass-slab phone has no moving parts and no flexible display, so secondhand buyers face less of an unknown.
Repairs Can Be More Complicated
A folding screen and hinge require more specialized repairs than a standard phone. Buyers may be less willing to pay a high price if they’re worried about future repair costs.
That concern can also affect a Galaxy Z Fold trade-in offer, especially when the device shows wear around the hinge or inner screen. The repair math on a damaged foldable is often unfavorable, and buyers factor that risk into what they’re willing to pay.
New Models Change Quickly
Samsung continues to make its foldables thinner, lighter, and easier to use. Those updates can make an older generation feel dated sooner, even when it still works well.
The foldable category is still relatively new compared to standard smartphones, which means the improvements between generations are more noticeable. That rapid pace of change accelerates foldable phone depreciation for older models. When a new Fold arrives with a noticeably better hinge, buyers have little reason to pay a premium for last year’s version.
How the Fold and Flip Compare
The Fold doesn’t hold its value better in every generation. The current numbers are much closer than you might expect.
The Newest Models Are Nearly Tied
After about one year, the Fold7 has retained roughly 34.8% of its original price. The Galaxy Z Flip value is slightly higher at 35.5%.
That’s close enough to call them nearly even. If you’re choosing between the two based on resale return, the difference at the one-year mark isn’t a deciding factor.
The Fold6 Has a Small Lead
After about two years, the Galaxy Z Fold trade-in figure equals roughly 23.6% of its original price. The Flip6 has retained about 21.5%.
The Fold leads here, but the difference is only around two percentage points. Both phones have lost the vast majority of their original value by this stage.
Both Lines Reach Similar Values
At three years, the Fold5 and Flip5 have each retained around 16% of their launch prices. The Galaxy Z Flip value doesn’t consistently fall faster than the Fold across every generation.
The better choice comes down to which design you prefer and how long you plan to keep it. If you’re buying a foldable for the experience and not as a financial investment, the depreciation curves are close enough that it shouldn’t change your decision.
How Foldables Compare to Standard Phones
Foldables also face more hesitation from buyers. A YouGov survey found that 56% of people who weren’t interested in a foldable worried about screen damage. Another 53% said the price was a concern. Those worries can make older foldables harder to sell and put more pressure on their trade-in value.
The SmartphonesPLUS data shows that the Fold7 and Flip7 each kept about 35% of their launch price after one year. That doesn’t mean every standard phone will do better, but it shows how much value a foldable can lose while it’s still fairly new.
That said, foldables cost significantly more at launch. The total dollar loss on a $1,999 Fold7 is much larger than the total dollar loss on a $1,199 standard flagship, even if the percentage retained is similar. That is worth factoring into your cost-of-ownership calculation before you buy.
The foldable phone resale value numbers are not a reason to avoid the category, but they are a reason to go in with realistic expectations about what you will get back.
Help Your Foldable Hold Its Value
Foldables lose value with age, but protecting the screen and hinge can help you avoid an even larger drop.
Protect the Hinge and Inner Screen
Use a case made for your exact model and follow Samsung’s care instructions for the inner screen protector. Damage around the hinge or folding display can lower your Galaxy Z Fold trade-in offer significantly. A dented hinge or a cracked inner display moves the phone into Broken condition, which wipes out a large portion of its remaining value.
Check the Condition Before Selling
Open and close the phone, test both screens, and look for dead pixels, cracks, lifting screen protectors, or hinge damage. Accurately describing the condition will give you a more useful starting quote. As we covered in our breakdown of cracked screen phone value, condition is one of the biggest variables in any trade-in offer.
Check the Price When You Plan to Upgrade
Foldable phone depreciation continues as newer models arrive, but you don’t need to rush if you still use and enjoy the phone. Tracking the foldable phone depreciation curve for your specific model will tell you more than any general rule.
When you know an upgrade is coming, check the current foldable phone resale value. That gives you a real number to compare with the value of keeping the device. Checking the offer before you commit to a new purchase lets you factor the trade-in into your total budget.
Decide What Your Foldable Is Worth to You
Your model, storage, carrier, condition, and age all shape its current offer. The table shows the wider pattern, but your exact phone may be worth more or less.
SmartphonesPLUS lets you enter those details and review the current price before making a decision. You get paid in cash rather than store credit, and the shipping is covered with a free prepaid label.
Check your Fold or Flip’s value at SmartphonesPLUS, then decide if selling now or keeping it longer makes more sense for your budget.
FAQs About Foldable Phone Resale Value
Do foldable phones lose value faster than standard phones?
Foldables can lose a large share of their launch price within the first few years. The exact rate depends on the model, age, condition, and current demand, so the live data shouldn’t be treated as one fixed rate for every foldable. Standard flagships like the iPhone and Galaxy S series have generally retained a higher percentage of their value at the one-year mark.
What is the current Galaxy Z Fold trade in value?
It depends entirely on the generation and condition. A one-year-old Z Fold7 in Good condition is currently worth roughly $695. A three-year-old Z Fold5 is worth roughly $296. A five-year-old Z Fold3 is down to about $126. Checking your specific model will give you an exact number.
Does the Galaxy Z Flip value hold up better than the Fold?
Neither line wins every time. The Flip7 has retained slightly more than the Fold7 after about one year. The Fold6 leads the Flip6 after two years. At three years, the Fold5 and Flip5 are almost tied. The Galaxy Z Flip value doesn’t consistently underperform the Fold across every generation.
Should I repair a broken foldable screen before selling?
Get a repair estimate before deciding. Compare that cost with the difference between the Broken and Good-condition offers. Repairing may make sense if insurance covers most of the cost, but an expensive out-of-pocket repair may not pay for itself.
How can I maximize my foldable phone resale value?
Protect the hinge and inner screen, use a case made for the device, and describe its condition accurately. When you’re planning an upgrade, check the current offer so you can compare selling with keeping the phone longer.
