It is clear that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is a hit, but its staying power might not be as good as its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S3, at least that’s what the trade-in numbers provided by Gazelle would seem to suggest. According to Gazelle, trade-ins for the Galaxy S4 happen 138% times more frequently in the second half of 2013 compared to the Samsung Galaxy S3 in the second half of 2013. To make matters worse, it seems that Galaxy S4 owners can’t wait to get rid of their phones as those numbers are actually increasing, where Gazelle claims that January 2014 was the site’s third-biggest month for Galaxy S4-related trade-ins.
It is unclear as to why Galaxy S4 owners are trading in their phones at a higher rate compared to Galaxy S3 owners back in 2012. Could it be due to the Galaxy Note 3 that made Galaxy S4 owners want to upgrade to that instead? Or could it be that Galaxy S4 owners are looking forward to the Galaxy S5 and want to get their handsets traded in ahead of time? The Samsung Galaxy S5 has been rumored for an announcement ahead of MWC and some of its rumored features include a QHD display and a possible metal body, a departure from the use of plastic that Samsung has typically favored in the past. In the meantime what do you guys think? What could be the reasons behind a higher Galaxy S4 trade-in rate?