Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Series Goes Refurbished, But There’s A Catch

Every Earth Day, Samsung celebrates not by introducing a new smartphone, but by adding a previous flagship generation to its Certified Re-newed program. This year is no different, but it comes at a time when shoppers might be considering options outside usual budget offerings like the Pixel 9a. With uncertainty surrounding the future of smartphone prices in the US and abroad, buying refurbished gadgets might be a smart bet — but these too come with their own costly catch.

Most of what Samsung is offering this year is identical to years prior. You can pick between all three Galaxy S24 models, all three come tested and repaired by Samsung engineers alongside its partners at Apkudo. You get a standard one-year warranty for protection, and Samsung even says One UI 7 is ready and available out of the box — not always an easily achievable goal these days. It’s an admirable movement, but like with plenty of non-refurbished smartphones, you’ll be paying more for your Galaxy S24 than you otherwise would have.

Buying Certified Re-Newed is more expensive than ever

All that for year-old refurbs?

Here are Samsung’s prices for its renewed Galaxy S24 models, all of which are available exclusively in black:

• Galaxy S24: $620 for 128GB, $670 for 256GB
• Galaxy S24+: $800 for 256GB, $920 for 512GB
• Galaxy S24 Ultra: $1,020 for 256GB, $1,140 for 512GB

While the refurbished Galaxy S24 price remains unchanged, anyone buying a recycled S24+ or S24 Ultra will end up paying between $30 and $100 more compared to what was offered just one year ago. While the Ultra’s pricing aligns with the overall price hike seen on that phone at launch, it doesn’t quite explain why you’ll end up paying $800 for the S24+, rather than the $770 price seen with the S23+.

It’d be one thing if these prices were set for the current Galaxy S25 series, but in my eyes, these numbers are about where unsold and sealed Galaxy S24 models should be priced. Considering they’re also refurbished, it’s a bit of a worst-of-both-worlds situation, with only the promise of being “eco-friendly” meant to balance out potential shopper frustrations. And considering the greenest thing you can do is hold onto your old phone, I’m not sure that’s much of a selling point either.

Samsung is offering $250 worth of trade-in value for an old device when shopping Certified-Renewed S24 models, which might help alleviate some of the sting from this year’s price hike. If you’re interested in the Galaxy S25 specifically, though, you’ll have to wait another 12 months to see officially renewed models show up online. Fingers crossed those don’t come with a price bump of their own.