For all its much-publicised battles with Apple, there is no disputing Samsung’s predominance in the global smartphone market. With one in every five new smartphones bought worldwide bearing the Samsung brand, the Korean electronics giant really is sitting pretty at the top of the tree.
And it is a similar story in the used phone market, too.
One of the reasons for its success is that Samsung simply manufactures a bigger range of devices, compared to Apple anyway. While the American computing innovator has always stuck with its flagship iPhone, releasing two or three variations on an updated theme every year or so, Samsung effectively has four smartphone brands – the S, the A, the J and the Note ranges.
Yes they all carry the same Galaxy marque, but with different price points and different target demographics, all four are positioned and marketed quite distinctly.
Which begs the question – given the price discrepancy between the top-end Note and S ranges and the comparatively budget J offering, do used Samsung phones represent good value for money? If you did not feel you could justify the cost of, say, a brand new S9, would you not be better off looking at the A or J ranges and still get a new device, rather than risking a pre-owned handset?
Assessing pre-owned value
There are several things you need to consider when weighing up the value of any kind of second hand product. They include:
- The difference in price between an old and a new version
- The difference in functionality between the two
- The comparative lifespans
- The risk of failure.
Let’s look at price difference and functionality first. The latest mega-capacity Galaxy S9 Hybrid 128GB and 256GB models retail for £869 and £929 respectively, with the RRP on a single SIM 64GB version £739. Samsung also still retails brand new Galaxy S8 handsets, with the 64GB model available for £609.
A quick search for pre-owned 64GB S8 and S8+ handsets shows they are readily available for around £300 – half the price of the new device as sold by Samsung, less than half of the 64GB S9, and a third of the price of a new 256GB S9.
The key question is, are you getting half, or even a third, of the functionality, performance and quality? Not at all. Released just 12 months apart, there is actually very little to separate the S9 and the S8 in terms of features, build quality and design. There is an upgraded chip and a few improvements to the camera in the S9, but you are talking tweaks rather than major innovations. The S8 remains a premium quality smartphone, and as it was only released in March 2017, you know any second-hand device you buy has to be less than two years old. That means it will still have a considerable lifespan ahead of it.
The other option if you want to minimise spend is to go for a brand new mid-range or budget handset. For roughly £300, you can get a new 32GB Galaxy A8. Or you could save yourself £100 and get a 32GB Galaxy J6+. Which is fine if you are only interested in basic smartphone functionality. But the fact of the matter is, the S8 is a far superior device to both of these models. For a similar price, you get greatly enhanced functionality and performance.
So in conclusion, are pre-owned Samsung handsets value for money? It has to be a resounding yes. When you can buy the latest-but-one premium models at mid-range prices, it is no wonder that more and more people are deciding to go for used phones to get maximum value for what they spend.
Phoenix Cellular stock a range of used Samsung phones, ready for same day dispatch to anywhere in Europe over night. Contact our sales team on +441270 449999 or email sales@phoenixcellular.co.uk for more information.
