You could just get a refurbished Samsung phone on Amazon

During a period of soaring phone prices known as RAMageddon, you don't necessarily have to spend thousands on a brand new smartphone. An option exists to buy a refurbished Samsung phone on Amazon at a more affordable price. After acquiring a Galaxy phone secondhand, Samsung has begun offering certified renewed phones on Amazon, complete with a new battery and a one-year warranty.

These refurbished phones start at $489 for the Galaxy S24 FE with 128GB of storage, which is much cheaper than the launch price of $649 or $699 for the current-gen S26 FE.

Recently, the author purchased a used Galaxy phone with a cracked screen on their Nothing CMF Phone 1. The used Galaxy S24 FE cost $329 on Back Market, $100 less than the certified renewed one Samsung offers on Amazon. The author prefers not to burden themselves with debt for a new phone or lease-to-own arrangements like Apple's Upgrade program. Their used S24 FE is in excellent condition, continues to receive OS updates, and has been functioning well.

Although Samsung's certified renewed phones come with some perks, such as a new battery, similar options are available elsewhere. The author's used S24 FE came with Back Market's one-year warranty, not a new battery, but they haven't experienced any issues with battery life. Even if the battery was professionally replaced, it would still be cheaper than Samsung's $489 price for the same pre-owned phone.