Samsung's trade-in program, particularly in the USA, often offers ways to upgrade from an old device to a new one while getting a decent discount. This is particularly true during pre-order periods. But there is one new trade-in deal I can't wrap my head around.

At Unpacked 2025, Samsung announced a refreshed Galaxy Watch Ultra for 2025. It is now available for pre-order for $649 in the USA, and at the moment, you can benefit from enhanced trade-in discounts. But if you already own the original Galaxy Watch Ultra from 2024, trading up doesn't seem to make any sense.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) is available for $649. How big of a discount can you get on the 2025 model upon trading-in the 2024 variant? For now, you get an enhanced trade-in discount of $250 instead of $194.

That's right. If you exchange your Galaxy Watch Ultra (2024), you can buy the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2025 refresh for a whopping $399.

Keep in mind that the Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) is almost the same as the original model, except for double the storage and a more recent OS version. The 2024 model has the same chip, the same BioActive sensor, and the same design. Plus, it will receive the same One UI 8 Watch update and new Health features by the end of the year.

In short, here's what you will get in return for spending $399 and trading-in the 2024 model for the 2025 Ultra.

Are these benefits worth $399? Is this good value? Not in my mind. In fact, this is one of the few instances when trading up seems like a really bad idea. And that's not all.

By the way, even more baffling is that Samsung USA still sells the Galaxy Watch Ultra from 2024 as of this writing. And how much does it cost? The same as the 2025 model, i.e., $649.

Image credit: Samsung

So, here is your word of warning. If you're in the market for the best Samsung smartwatch, make sure you buy the 2025 model and not accidentally spend $649 on the 2024 Ultra.

On the other hand, if you want to upgrade to the Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) from an older smartwatch, you can find some decent trade-in discounts at Samsung's e-shop in the USA, including $250 off when you exchange the Watch 5 Pro, $200 off for the Watch 4 Classic, and $150 off for the Watch 4 or Watch 5.