Samsung Galaxy S21 5G, US Version, 128GB, Phantom

Excellent so far
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.

First and LAST time i will ever buy a refurbished device
I was very apprehensive about buying a refurbished phone but after reading so many 5 star reviews i pulled the trigger. The first one i got looked brand new cosmetically but any time i would go to charge it it said there was “Water in the charging port” and wouldn’t let me charge the phone (there was no water anywhere near the phone, let alone in the charging port). That kept happening until i returned it for another one. This one (got it in March of 2023) looked great too cosmetically but functionality is the big issue. First it wouldn’t give me any notifications of emails – I went through all the prompts and settings, changed everything I could…still no notifications of emails. The only time it will notify me is if I actually open up Gmail – then it will pop up saying you have x amount of unread messages but if I’m already opening the program it’s completely useless! Then I started having people tell me “I was calling you but it went straight to voicemail” I thought it was odd but maybe it was service related. I went to my wireless provider and they said there is nothing wrong with the service it’s probably the device. My wife has the same exact service with a different phone and has service throughout the house. Now not only can i not make or receive calls in my house I can’t send text messages! The phone will say I have full service (5 bars) plus I’m connected to Wifi 6 with a 1 gig fiber connection. When I go to send a message it will just keep spinning and spinning until the message times out after a long time. The only way I’ve figured out how to trick the phone into sending messages is send the message, turn the phone on airplane mode and then switch airplane mode off again and the message will send. To add insult to injury last month I noticed a small artifact on the screen that does not go away. I’ve had this phone for less than a year and I have a permanent line on the screen that shows even when it’s on the charging screen. I purchased this from the seller “TheGadgetDeals” because they had 100% positive reviews – not sure how that’s possible if these are the kind of phones they are selling. So with no email notifications, no ability to make or receive calls or send text messages in my house (and a lot of times other places) I effectively have a $450 paper weight masquerading as a phone. If you’re ok with spending nearly $500 on a phone that will be essentially unusable within 7 months of purchasing I say go for it, otherwise I’d look elsewhere!1/10 WOULD NOT RECOMMENDPS. After owning the phone for a month or so i purchased another one for my wife (also from TheGadgetDeals) her phone came in excellent cosmetic condition but every time she would make or receive a call the person on the other end would hear an echo of everything they said so that phone had to returned

Muy buen producto

I’ve had Samsung phones in the past and they are always pretty reliable. This phone is in excellent condition and works like new.