Samsung Galaxy S21 5G, US Version, 128GB, Phantom White - Unlocked (Renewed)

I ordered it on Sept 20th at $339 plus shipping of ~$34 and Morocco VAT of ~$80, so totally I paid $449. Delivery was very good. I saw it was shipped on the 25th. On the 30th, I received an SMS from DHL saying they planned delivery on Oct. 3rd, but on the same day I got an email asking for copy of national ID and content description for clearing customs. I am not a Morocco residents nor citizen, so I sent my foreign passport instead. On the 3rd, Amazon tracking info said clearing custom was delayed as additional documents were needed. So I called DHL, and the rep said it would be delivered on the 4th instead. On the 4th, I saw a newly posted message about delay on Amazon tracking. I called DHL various times but couldn't get to anyone. I then sent an inquiry by email and get a response shortly saying it was being taking care of. Then late afternoon, I got the package. Upon arriving, the seal of the packing had an opening large enough to put in a hand but not for getting the phone out, so I didn't complain. Unpacked, the inner packing of the phone was in excellent condition, very much like the original packing but had no Samsung marking, rather, it had a marking of "amazonrenewed". There was a film covering the screen, like on a new phone. The phone appeared in excellent condition, only had a small scratch at the back when I looked in detail, and a hair of scratch on the screen that is only visible under bright light and in a particular angle. I tried but couldn't turn on the phone - there was no response. The box also included a USB-C cable and a cheap non-Samsung charger made in China. I used my own Samsung Charger to charge the phone. After plugged in, it showed the battery was at 0. So I let it charge to full. After started, it turned out fully unlocked. My Morocco sim card works with 4G. The phone's software looked already reset, but I reset it myself anyhow. Then updated to the latest system with Android 12, and loaded many apps I need. During about the first week, the battery appeared quite poor. With medium usage it lasted about a day. I tried all necessary settings to conserve battery, but it didn't seem to help much. These couple days, it becomes much better, lasting about 45 hours. I read it was likely due to some AI processes either from Android 12 or Samsung doing the learning work at first. But it's pretty bad the phone doesn't show any info. I would say I am very happy with the phone. And this is after having a terrible experience in the past with Samsung. The last Samsung phone I had was S7 Edge bought in Thailand (I am a traveler), new at a Samsung store for perhaps ~$800. I actually wanted the normal S7 (without the "edge"), but it was out of stock then. I never liked the "edge", it was a silly design in my mind. The phone worked well initially, but in the coming couple of years I had a terrible experience. About 5 months later when I was in Vietnam, the screen started to show shaded bands across. As I was wondering how or if I should return to Thailand to get the phone serviced, the bands disappeared after a month. Then about another 7 months later when I was in Azerbaijan, the phone couldn't start after I did a system update. So I couldn't use the phone for a couple weeks until I reached Tbilisi in Georgia when I had someone flashed it. About a year later, it died on me again when I was in Morocco. I had someone re-flashed it, but it was not successful. About 1 month later I reached the city of Fes where there is a Samsung service center. After checking, they said there was something wrong with the motherboard. Very shocking! I've never had such problem in my life with all the phones and computers, cheap or dear, and this was a flagship! So eventually, I sold it to a local repair shop for $200, for which they said they only needed the screen. That was end of 2017. So I never bought a Samsung again, and would definitely not buy one at the full price. I admit the S series is not worthless. At least, I like the camera. But I never had a chance to buy one at a largely reduced price (I won't buy from just any second-hand sellers). So now, the Amazon reviewed phone with some warranty got me interested. Yes, I have some risk, but to me with the past experience, the risk is not much higher than getting a new phone from Samsung, plus, I am putting in a much lower bet now.

I am always leery about buying used electronics. You never know if you get the one that was barely used, and the person is just a serial upgrader every time a new model comes out. OR, if the item was traded in because it was malfunctioning, and wasn't spotted before being resold. Not the issue here so far. Tested every feature that I would actually use and it runs smoothly and quickly. From a full charge in the morning before I go to work, and with moderate usage throughout the day, it is generally down to about 80% by the time I go to bed (usually between 1:30 and 2:00am). I am upgrading from a much earlier model Galaxy and the camera (both still and video) quality is spectacular comparatively. Particularly in low light. Verizon SIM card transferred over without issues and that Samsung transfer app was a God send for getting all of my stuff (including pix, wifi passes, etc.....) over to the new phone. The lack of an SD slot makes me a bit nervous, but this one is the 256 gig model so hopefully, I won't have to do much relocating of files, images and videos over to my PC with the space that there is on here. Physically, the phone was in pretty good shape. Though there were a few minor scuffs on the back, the glass for the screen AND the camera lenses were flawless. And, I always use a case/holster anyway, way back since the old flip phone days. So, I will never actually SEE the body of the phone anyway. All in all, up to this point, I feel like the investment was good. There is 90 days worth of warranty so if I stumble across something that is a deal breaker, I can return it. If you are looking for a phone that won't cost as much as a cheap automobile, this "renewed" option may be something you can look in to. I will be trying it again when it is time to make another upgrade.

Phone works great, it's super speedy and has zero hesitation when I need it to do stuff, as expected. But the screen they used to refurbish this phone is terrible quality. Smudges and smears constantly. Also the charger it came with is complete crap. Doesn't fit into the charge port correctly without force and stops charging while plugged in if you position the phone in certain angles. The phone performance is great, the refurbishment and charger, not so much.

I would give it 5 stars based on my experience with ordering a refurbished phone, however with my luck , good things dont always last forever. when i got this phone in the mail, I was expecting scratches but i was suprised that it came out looking like a brand new untouched device. nice and polished, software runs very smooth, content transfer was 0 hassle , connected to my network with 0 issues. i was hesitate on order a hand me down basically but this time i was not disappointed. hopefully anyone who orders a device from this seller has the same expierence i did. i will update this post if anything should happen

It’s working good

Screen is smaller than a note 10 plus android phone. Camera quality is good. Connected to my jamaican service easily because its unlocked.

The phone was in new condition, it came in a white box with a charger and usb cord. Works great and my only complaint was the size. The screen is very tall, but was far too narrow for a decent sized keyboard, so I am finding it difficult to type with large hands. Phone was perfect for its size. The actual screen width is 67mm vs the Ultra with a 79mm horizontal screen width. Update, phone screen stopped working and went black after a few weeks. Lost all my contacts and accounts. Note, phone came with Samsung messaging and was attempting to force what they called an upgrade to google messaging (malicious app) update: screen started working again at random, then mobile network quit for a few weeks, then randomly started working again. The end call button does not end calls at all, it is just for looks, a glitch across multiple models by samsung. There was never any issue with the hardware, it works well.. the samsung software and firmware just isnt what it used to be.

I love the color and it is faster when opening apps and having more than a few open compared to S16 so I'm happy I bought this phone. It's light weight and not big which I likw because I can't hold heavy phones with one hand for more than 2 minutes. Only thing I dislike is it doesn't have a input or connection for wired headphones, so it's all Bluetooth. Note: you cannot insert a SD card for memory or SIM card. I have Mint mobile and it works good!