Technologies
Samsung Galaxy S23 Deals: Big Trade-In Credits, Gift Card Offers and More
Samsung’s new flagship devices are here and you can already save on one.

This story is part of Samsung Event, CNET’s collection of news, tips and advice around Samsung’s most popular products.
The new Galaxy S23, S23 Plus and S23 Ultra hit shelves just last month, and are the latest models in Samsung’s flagship phone series. And if you’re looking to get your hands on one of these cutting-edge devices, there’s no reason to pay more than you have to. There are tons of deals and offers out there at both carriers and retailers that can save you hundreds on one of these sleek new phones, especially if you have an old phone to trade in or need a new service plan. We’ve rounded up some of the best offers available at the moment below so you can get a new S23 in your hands for less. And with the release of the new S23 models, you can also find some great deals on the previous-gen Galaxy S22 right now as well.
Unveiled at the company’s Unpacked event last month, Samsung’s refreshed Galaxy S lineup includes the Galaxy S23, S23 Plus and S23 Ultra. All three models retain the same screen sizes as the 2022 models at 6.1, 6.6 and 6.8 inches, respectively, with a refined external design and some modest upgrades to the camera hardware, battery sizes and internal storage of the larger two models. A special version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, optimized for the new Galaxy S23 lineup, powers the new phones, which the company claims should result in faster performance.


Get your next phone for the best price.
Set price alerts on your favorite models with the CNET Shopping extension and get notified when prices drop.
Whether you want to be the first to get your hands on one of Samsung’s latest phones or maybe it’s just time to upgrade from an older phone, we’ll help you save some cash on your S23 purchase. Note that the below deals and bonuses are all limited in time and could change at a moment’s notice.
How much does the Galaxy S23 cost?
The three models of the Galaxy S23 are available in various storage configurations. US pricing for each model starts at:
- Samsung Galaxy S23: $800
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus: $1,000
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: $1,200
Note that Samsung has improved the base storage for the Galaxy S23 Plus and S23 Ultra, doubling it to 256GB instead of the 128GB found in the S22 models. The base-spec Galaxy S23 model remains at 128GB, however. Both the Samsung Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus offer 8GB of RAM, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with 12GB of RAM.
What colors does the Galaxy S23 come in?


As always, Samsung has clothed its latest phones in an attractive array of colors. This time, there’s a selection of nature-inspired colors including phantom black, cream, green and lavender. All three S23 phones are available in those four colors regardless of where you buy them from, though Samsung is also offering four colors exclusive to its own online store. Those colors are lime, graphite, sky blue and red.
Best Galaxy S23 deals
Go straight to the source for your Galaxy S23 order and nab as much as $100 in free Samsung credit to spend on accessories. You’ll also gain access to Samsung’s online-exclusive colors. Better yet, if you’ve got an old phone to trade in, you can get as much as $750 toward your new unlocked device.
Samsung has some attractive carrier offers, too, with as much as $800 off with an eligible trade-in. Finally, many of these offers can be further enhanced with discounts for students, educators, first responders, government workers and/or military members, veterans and their families (see Samsung’s site for discount details).
Best Buy is offering savings on both unlocked and carrier models of the S23 lineup if you’ve got an older device to trade in. Those who don’t want to be tied to a carrier or service plan can save up to $600 through Best Buy’s trade-in program. Or you can save up to $800 with an eligible trade-in and qualified activation on service plan from Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile.
Verizon’s Galaxy S23 deal offers as much as $800 off with an eligible trade-in on an Unlimited plan, and the carrier is even accepting old or damaged phones. Switchers to Verizon will get a further $200 Verizon gift card, too. Other offers include a free Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G with purchase, though it’s worth noting these cellular-enabled devices each require a new line to be added, and 50% off Galaxy Buds 2 when bundled with your phone purchase.
Buy your Galaxy S23 device on a qualifying installment agreement with AT&T and trade in your old device for up to $800 off. Better yet, to be eligible for that discount, the device you hand over can be a Galaxy S, Note, or Z series smartphone from any year, in any condition, or a phone from another brand so long as it’s worth $35. The discount will be applied via monthly bill credits over 36 months. Plus, you can get 50% off any Samsung accessory alongside your phone purchase.
New and existing customers can save up to $800 on any Galaxy S23 model when either trading in or adding a new line on a Magenta Max plan. Those not on a Magenta Max plan can still save up to $800 with a qualifying trade-in or new line on an eligible plan.
Xfinity is offering new customers $500 off their Galaxy S23 when porting in a number on a new line on a 24-month plan. And both new and existing customers can save up to $800 with a qualifying trade-in.
Walmart is offering the Galaxy S23 series with various carrier deals. Phones activated on an eligible installment plant with AT&T or Verizon will benefit from a $250 discount, plus up to $1,000 off via bill credits (AT&T only) with an eligible trade-in. Walmart also has prepaid deals with Straight Talk and Total by Verizon offering six months of free service for new customers on an unlimited plan.
Google Fi is offering its own trade-in program where you can save up to $799 on the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus, or up to $899 on the S23 Ultra. Though unlike some other carriers, Google Fi is only accepting newer devices in good condition. The discount is applied via month bill credits over 24 months, and if you cancel service before then, you’ll have to pay the remaining balance yourself.
Technologies
iOS 26: AI Summaries Come Back to iPhone News Apps, but With a Warning
Apple initially disabled these summaries in January.

Apple released iOS 26 on Monday, a few months after the company announced it at the June Worldwide Developers Conference. The update brings a new Liquid Glass redesign, call screening and hidden features to your iPhone. The update also brings AI notification summaries for news and entertainment apps back to Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone.
Apple disabled AI notification summaries for news and entertainment apps in January. That came a few weeks after the BBC pointed out in December that the feature twisted the media organization’s notifications and displayed inaccurate information.
Here’s what to know about those AI summaries and the new warning.
Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
iOS 26 warns about summary inaccuracies
When I updated to iOS 26, I was greeted by some splash screens asking for various permissions. One splash screen was for the AI notification summaries. When you see this screen, you have two options: Choose Notifications to Summarize or Not Now. If you tap Not Now, the splash screen goes away.
If you tap Choose Notifications to Summarize, you’re taken to a new page where you’ll see three categories: News & Entertainment, Communication & Social and All Other Apps. Tapping one of these categories allows notification summaries for apps in that category. Beneath the News & Entertainment category, there’s a warning that gets outlined in red if you tap it.
«Summarization may change the meaning of the original headline,» the warning reads, adding, «Verify information.»
There’s also a warning across the bottom of the screen that reads, «This is a beta feature. Summaries may contain errors.»
After tapping the categories you want, tap Summarize Selected Notifications across the bottom of your screen. If you selected all the categories, this button will read Summarize All Notifications.
And if you don’t want these summaries, you can tap Do Not Summarize Notifications. If you allow these summaries and don’t like them, you can easily turn them off. Here’s how.
How to turn off AI notification summaries
1. Tap Settings.
2. Tap Notifications.
3. Tap Summarize Notifications.
4. Tap the Summarize Notifications toggle in the new menu.
You can also follow the above steps to turn AI notification summaries back on. You’ll have to select which categories you want these summaries for again, too.
For more on iOS 26, here’s my review of the OS, how to reduce the Liquid Glass effects in the update and how to enable call screening on your iPhone. You can also check out our iOS 26 cheat sheet.
Technologies
Amazon Prime Is Ending Shared Free Shipping. What to Know and When It Happens
How Prime Invitee program’s end could affect your free deliveries.

If you’ve been using someone else’s Amazon Prime membership for free shipping, but you don’t live in the same house, you may need to pay another subscription fee soon. According to Amazon’s updated customer service page, the online retail giant is ending its Prime Invitee benefit-sharing program Oct. 1.
Amazon’s Prime Invitee program is being replaced by Amazon Family, as reported earlier by The Verge. It includes many of the same benefits, but Amazon Family only works for up to two adults and four children living in the same «primary residential address» — a shared home.
You’ll still be able to use free shipping to send gifts elsewhere, but your Prime Invitees will no longer be able to use the perk.
Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
Amazon isn’t the first company to prevent membership sharing between family and friends. The e-commerce giant is just the latest to follow Netflix’s account-sharing crackdown. While it’s unclear whether this change will work for Amazon, Netflix gained over 200,000 subscribers following its policy change. We also saw a similar account-sharing crackdown with Disney Plus and YouTube Premium.
Read more: More Than Just Free Shipping: Here Are 19 Underrated Amazon Prime Perks
What the Amazon Prime shipping crackdown means for you
If you’re the beneficiary of someone else’s Prime Invitee benefits, you have one more month to take advantage of the current program before the changes take effect.
Starting in October, you’ll have to get your own Amazon Prime subscription to benefit from the company’s free shipping program. First-time subscribers get a year of Prime membership for $15, but you’ll be stuck shelling out $15 a month to maintain your subscription thereafter.
Read more: Your Free Pass to Prime Day Deals (No Membership Required)
Why is Amazon ending the Prime Invitee program?
This move follows shortly after Reuters reported that Amazon’s Prime account signups slowed down recently despite an extended July Prime Day event. While the company reported blowout sales numbers, new Prime subscriptions didn’t meet internal expectations. In the US, they fell short of last year’s signup metrics.
According to Reuters, Amazon registered 5.4 million US signups over the 21-day run-up to the Prime Day event, around 116,000 fewer than during the same period in 2024, and 106,000 below the company’s own goal, a roughly 2% decline in both metrics.
By forcing separate households to have their own subscriptions, Amazon could be looking to attract more Prime accounts after previously failing to do so.
The new Amazon Family program (previously known as Amazon Household) offers Prime benefits to up to two adults and four children in a single home, including free shipping, Prime Video, Prime Reading and Amazon Music. The subscription also includes benefits for certain third-party companies, such as GrubHub.
Technologies
Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Pack Points System Needs an Overhaul Yesterday
The pack-opening pity points system is pitiful. There’s a very easy way to improve it.

Pokemon TCG Pocket is more than a mobile game: It’s a money-making machine. The virtual trading card app raked in more than $900 million in its first six months, eclipsing even Pokemon Go’s revenue in the same post-release time span. As it turns out, fake Pokemon cards are just as much of a hot commodity as the real thing.
People love ripping open card packs, hunting down ones with their favorite illustrations of fan-favorite Pokemon. It feels great to beat the odds by pulling an elaborately-inked full art or a shiny secret rare. But it really starts to irk me when I’m missing only one or two cards from a set and I can’t get lucky enough to pull them out of a pack.
Pokemon TCG Pocket has a «pity points» system that’s supposed to make this feel less terrible: Every time you open a pack, you earn five pack points, which you can directly trade in for a card of your choosing.
You can trade in 35 points for a common card, but if you want to get the rarest cards from a set, they could eat up 500 points, 1,250 points or even a whopping 2,500 points each. That means you’d have to rip open 500 card packs in order to earn a single copy of one of Pokemon TCG Pocket’s rarest cards.
It sounds absurd (and it is), but that’s to be expected for a free-to-play game, especially one where the developer makes money by encouraging players to pay for extra card pulls. My real big issue with pack points is that they’re restricted to the expansion set you earned them in.
For example, I have 210 pack points for the latest card set, Secluded Springs, and I’ve been exclusively pulling those packs since it was released. I also have 700 pack points for the game’s first-ever expansion Genetic Apex — but those points are locked to Genetic Apex, and can’t be used for any other set. I’ve accrued hundreds of pack points, but they’re essentially useless to me because they won’t help me complete the sets I’m still missing cards in.
Pokemon TCG Pocket expansion sets are released on a monthly basis, which means no one really has time to earn enough pack points for a rare card before the next shiny slate of cards is dangled in front of your eyes. It propagates a desperate sense of FOMO that I’ve criticized in the past, but there’s a simple solution that would make the problem disappear overnight.
Instead of locking pack points to any one set, they should be an account-wide currency instead. Every time you earn pack points, they should be added to one large pool that you can use on any of the in-game card sets. That way, players wouldn’t have to feel a manufactured sense of guilt for ripping open packs from older sets.
While it’s customary for gacha games to have a pity system that guarantees a certain reward after a certain amount of pulls, it’s by no means a requirement for these games to have these systems. In a sense, I’m grateful that the pack points exist in Pokemon TCG Pocket in the first place.
I think we should always argue for a more consumer-friendly experience in modern gaming. Overhauling the pity system so that pack points can be used universally across all of the in-game card sets will make the game fairer and give more players a real chance to get the rarest cards.
It creates a greater sense of parity between free-to-play and paying players, and it might even cause some people to spend more money on pack openings to boot. Universal pack points are a win-win for players and DeNA alike.
-
Technologies3 года ago
Tech Companies Need to Be Held Accountable for Security, Experts Say
-
Technologies3 года ago
Best Handheld Game Console in 2023
-
Technologies3 года ago
Tighten Up Your VR Game With the Best Head Straps for Quest 2
-
Technologies4 года ago
Verum, Wickr and Threema: next generation secured messengers
-
Technologies4 года ago
Google to require vaccinations as Silicon Valley rethinks return-to-office policies
-
Technologies4 года ago
Black Friday 2021: The best deals on TVs, headphones, kitchenware, and more
-
Technologies4 года ago
Olivia Harlan Dekker for Verum Messenger
-
Technologies4 года ago
iPhone 13 event: How to watch Apple’s big announcement tomorrow