Receive up to $300 towards a new HTC device by trading in an old one

HTC introduced a new incentive to buy one of its new smartphones, up to $300 in "trade up" value for customer's used but functional devices.

HTC has a bumpy past in hardware manufacturing. Previously criticized for releasing too many smartphones under confusing product names, the Taiwanese company tried to start anew with its One line. But despite its speedy internals, inclusion of Beats Audio, and stellar build quality, as well as its unified branding, HTC’s current flagship, the One X, hasn’t been able to generate the same excitement as fellow Android juggernaut, the Samsung Galaxy S III.

But HTC hasn’t given up on the game quite yet, it has thrown too many resources at Android to quite now. After all, the original Nexus was an HTC device. It recently announced a pair of Windows Phone 8 devices — candy-colored phones reminiscent of Nokia’s Lumia line — and the HTC One X+ is reportedly right around the corner. In a rather aggressive move, HTC will offer potential buyers a monetary incentive to commit.

In exchange for your used smartphone, HTC will award you with up to $300 (but we were given a $324 quote for a 32GB Galaxy S III) if you purchase one of its new devices. To put it simply, HTC judges the value of your device and pays you to exchange it for a fresh one. However, rather than subtracting the trade-in value directly from your total, you’ll have to pay full price before receiving the rebate.

The funny thing about HTC’s “trade up” program though is that there are many other companies ready to pay for your used smartphone. Gazelle and Amazon both have services in place to exchange money for functional devices. On the positive side, HTC’s new site has a great layout, it’s easy to use, and your quote is generated instantly.

Of course, none of this matters if the prices offered by HTC aren’t competitive when compared with other services. We decided to do some of the legwork for you using a fully-functioning, 16GB Samsung Galaxy S III on Verizon as our standard. Gazelle quoted $245 for a “flawless” S III, whereas HTC quoted $265 for the same device. It seems like HTC did its research in terms of pricing, but ultimately it’s up to you whether you want cash-in-hand or a smartphone from HTC.

Is this the break you’ve been waiting for? Will you be sending in your old smartphone for a discounted HTC device? Or would you rather get cash for an alternate service?