Samsung’s refurbished Galaxy S24 units are a bad deal, buy these instead
Samsung is beginning to sell refurbished Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus, and Galaxy S24 Ultra models through its Certified Re-newed program at a discount — but the savings aren’t enough to offer a compelling value. In many cases, savvy shoppers can buy new Samsung Galaxy S24 series phones at prices lower than what Samsung is offering with its refurbished devices.
We’ve done the hard work for you, finding the best deals that put Samsung’s Certified Re-newed offers to shame.
What are the perks of going with a Samsung refurbished unit?
There are certainly advantages to buying a Galaxy phone through the Certified Re-newed program. For starters, all refurbished Galaxy devices sold by Samsung get a brand-new OEM battery, which is more than most third-party refurbishers offer.
You also get “the same one-year limited warranty offered on new smartphones,” according to the company. While some other renewed devices might claim to offer warranties for their products, only ones sold by reputable brands — like Samsung and Best Buy — can truly be trusted. Even Amazon’s Renewed program merely offers a 90-day blanket return policy, but nothing thereafter.
For added protection, you can purchase the Samsung Care Plus plan with the optional Theft & Loss add-on, which is available for new Galaxy devices but not third-party refurbished ones.
Is that enough to sway you toward a refurbished Galaxy S24 from Samsung. Maybe, but the prices will probably leave a sour taste in your mouth:
- Samsung Galaxy S24, Black, 128GB: $620 ($799 MRSP)
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus, Black, 256GB: $800 ($999 MSRP)
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus, Black, 256GB: $1,020 ($1,299 MSRP)
Those prices would be passable if the Samsung Galaxy S24 lineup was still new, but it isn’t. The Galaxy S25 series is here, and it has taken over. So, if you buy a phone through Samsung’s Certified Re-newed program, you’re getting a year-old phone and one that’s been refurbished for only a slight discount.
Oh, and you can buy new Galaxy S24 phones for cheaper
The egregious part of Samsung’s refurbished pricing model is that you can purchase brand-new Galaxy S24 units for cheaper than the Certified Re-newed units.
If you do want a refurbished device, you can save even more by going with a third-party program like Amazon Renewed or Best Buy Geek Squad Refurbished. We’ve already pointed out the potential downsides of going with a third-party refurbisher, but both Amazon and Best Buy offer free returns. If anything is awry, you can always play it safe and return the refurbished device for a full refund.
But again, the key thing to remember is that you don’t have to go with a refurbished device to save. We found a brand-new Galaxy S24 Ultra on Amazon for just $880 and it’s unlocked. That’s $140 less than Samsung’s Certified Re-newed Galaxy S24 Ultra and about $420 less than the device at MSRP.
The same trend continues when we look at the Galaxy S24 Plus, the midsize variant of the Galaxy S24 lineup. You can get the international model of the Galaxy S24 Plus in brand new condition for $730 on Amazon, which is $70 less than the Samsung refurbished price and nearly $300 under MSRP. If you want the U.S. model, Walmart has it for just $720.
Why would you buy the refurbished model when you can get a new one for less money?
Finally, the smallest Galaxy S24 costs $620 refurbished from Samsung and only $557 on Amazon. That’s merely $63 in savings, but remember you’re getting a new device and saving a few bucks by avoiding the Samsung Certified Re-newed program and using Amazon instead.
There are plenty of reasons you might want to be part of the Samsung Certified Re-newed program — the biggest of them being that you help save the planet by reducing e-waste. However, Samsung made buying refurbished a tough decision by setting Galaxy S24 prices way too high. For reference, they’re higher than the Galaxy S23 refurbished prices announced on the same date last year by between $30 and $100.
So, if you’re intrigued by the refurbished Galaxy S24 models, consider grabbing a new model from a third-party retailer instead. Or, if you’re dead-set on getting a new battery, one-year limited warranty, and Samsung Care Plus overage, perhaps the Galaxy S25 series is a better value for only a few hundred dollars more.
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