Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 256 GB Brown

There is always a risk when buying used, and I was a little hesitant, but this particular phone exceeded my expectations as far as condition. I opened the box, not knowing what I might find, somewhat expecting the worse, but I was pleasantly surprised. First thing I did was inspect the whole phone, and this particular one looked brand new, not a scratch or smudge anywhere. It did come in a generic box with a cable and charger, but I'm collecting so many cables they could have kept that. As for the phone, it was a nice upgrade from my S9, which I have really enjoyed for the last year or so. I thought it was time to upgrade, and I can't really see myself spending more than $300 or so for a phone, so this was a very good find. I'm no phone nerd, so my expectations are ... MoreThere is always a risk when buying used, and I was a little hesitant, but this particular phone exceeded my expectations as far as condition. I opened the box, not knowing what I might find, somewhat expecting the worse, but I was pleasantly surprised. First thing I did was inspect the whole phone, and this particular one looked brand new, not a scratch or smudge anywhere. It did come in a generic box with a cable and charger, but I'm collecting so many cables they could have kept that. As for the phone, it was a nice upgrade from my S9, which I have really enjoyed for the last year or so. I thought it was time to upgrade, and I can't really see myself spending more than $300 or so for a phone, so this was a very good find. I'm no phone nerd, so my expectations are not super high, but I really like the form and function of this phone. And being a Long time Samsung user, I liked the somewhat familiar function and menus, with the newer version of Android bringing some nice little features. I did debloat the phone, which is one of my primary complaints about Samsung, all the junk, duplicate software they shove on their phones, and do not make it easy to delete. Actually there's apps maybe just as good as Google, I don't know since I haven't used them, but I still want the option to have something installed on my property. But I'm getting off topic. Bottom line, this was a satisfying purchase and I look forward to getting two or three years of service for a reasonable purchase price.

Arrived super fast and in expected condition!

The phone arrived in 1 day and was in as good of a condition as I expected! The listing said the phone was in "Good" condition, which usually is a tier or 2 below the top tier for re-sold phones and indicates some wear on the device. There are some scratches on the screen (which are only noticeable when the screen is off and hitting light in a certain way) and some small dings on the sides of the phone, but the entire back of the phone is in excellent condition.The phone also operates perfectly; It's receiving all the new updates, it's fully unlocked, it's super responsive, the cameras work great, it charges well... The list goes on.I am very happy with this purchase, and I do think the price is worth what you get (I also received a charging block, cable, and ... MoreThe phone arrived in 1 day and was in as good of a condition as I expected! The listing said the phone was in "Good" condition, which usually is a tier or 2 below the top tier for re-sold phones and indicates some wear on the device. There are some scratches on the screen (which are only noticeable when the screen is off and hitting light in a certain way) and some small dings on the sides of the phone, but the entire back of the phone is in excellent condition.The phone also operates perfectly; It's receiving all the new updates, it's fully unlocked, it's super responsive, the cameras work great, it charges well... The list goes on.I am very happy with this purchase, and I do think the price is worth what you get (I also received a charging block, cable, and SIM ejector in the box). Be mindful of the condition of the phone you are purchasing, though— A "Good" phone won't look brand new, and even an "Excellent" phone might have some wear. Otherwise, it's an excellent purchase!

Basically a dead phone

So I bought this phone with the knowledge that it had minor damage a few dead pixel THAT was ONLY reported damage. that didnt bother me however, for past couple months Ive dealt with the phone restarting randomly due to what im assuming is a overheating heat issue ive gone to a samsung approved repair shop they look at and replaced the charging board inside after finding damage in hopes it fix it which cost me 90$ and even after this im still having issues i can only assume its a motherboard issue at this point. besides just randomly being stuck in a boot up shutting off and restarting up it cycles from trying to hold connection to any towers ill loose all service data and cellular and get a (no sim (searching.) all the time i eliminated it being the sim card or the ... MoreSo I bought this phone with the knowledge that it had minor damage a few dead pixel THAT was ONLY reported damage. that didnt bother me however, for past couple months Ive dealt with the phone restarting randomly due to what im assuming is a overheating heat issue ive gone to a samsung approved repair shop they look at and replaced the charging board inside after finding damage in hopes it fix it which cost me 90$ and even after this im still having issues i can only assume its a motherboard issue at this point. besides just randomly being stuck in a boot up shutting off and restarting up it cycles from trying to hold connection to any towers ill loose all service data and cellular and get a (no sim (searching.) all the time i eliminated it being the sim card or the sim card reader bc after the charging board was replaced it would have also replaced the sim card reader. I have been using my phone that i used prior to buy the Samsung S21 ULTRA and have experienced none of these issues of not having data or cellular signal. I would HIGHLY recommend no one purchase from this third party refurbishing seller i was already kinda skeptical based on the reviews. when i first got the phone the issues were toleralable and for the price i didnt really mind the fact it restart or would lose connection randomly until i basically could only use it at home on my wifi and got stuck outstate due to the fact the phone restarted 82 times in a day that information was reported to me by the samsung approved technician that worked on my phone. tdlr they sold me a lemon a phone with problems not listed that only got worse with time that would probably end up costing me more then i bought the phone for to fix. I have not tried to reach out to the third party because i doubt there is anything that could do after the amount time that past since ive bought it or i would return this phone immediately for a full refund.

Falsely advertised, but it is what is.

Falsely represented. "Open Box" means just that, that the product is brand-new, in original manufacturer's box, though the seal has been broken. This was not the case. This phone was packaged in an Amazon renewed boxed, showed physical signs of use. The phone works great, had no problem activating it, and the price point was wonderful had it been as advertised, but was still reasonable as it came. Just extremely disappointed that I was misled. In truth I felt deceived and purposely lied to. I won't be returning fir a refund, as I said it was a reasonable price for what I received, I was just expected much more from the description. I guess honesty is just too much to expect.

Great phone for the most part

The S21 Ultra is a good phone for the most part!Pros: Great camera which takes crystal clear photos and offers various editing features. It even has this multi-take feature where it takes multiple pics during a session just like a photo shoot!The storage capacity of the phone is fantastic, edpecially if you're a person with lots of pictures, documents and videos on your phone. I use lots of Bible-based videos in my ministry, so this phone meets my needs very well with storage capacity and clarity of videos.The phone is quite customizable. Various themes are made available at no cost regarding the interface of the phone.Aesthetically speaking, the S21 Ultra is very sleek and pleasing to the eye. I have the phantom silver one and it has such a classy look. ... MoreThe S21 Ultra is a good phone for the most part!Pros: Great camera which takes crystal clear photos and offers various editing features. It even has this multi-take feature where it takes multiple pics during a session just like a photo shoot!The storage capacity of the phone is fantastic, edpecially if you're a person with lots of pictures, documents and videos on your phone. I use lots of Bible-based videos in my ministry, so this phone meets my needs very well with storage capacity and clarity of videos.The phone is quite customizable. Various themes are made available at no cost regarding the interface of the phone.Aesthetically speaking, the S21 Ultra is very sleek and pleasing to the eye. I have the phantom silver one and it has such a classy look. Tons of cases available out there for the phone as well...I should know I have 16 of them...Features on the phone function swiftly and seamlessly as well.Con: Over time the battery life of the phone has become increasingly less. Even while using battery saver mode, the battery life drains way too fast.Other than the battery life drainage being a little disappointing, the phone is overall a great device. It is my mini pocket assistant!

Not a real S21 Ultra

I received what I believe is a duplicate S21 Ultra from this vendor. It had no IMEI number printed on it like S21 Ultra's are supposed to have. It had very poor conectivity, I wouldn't receive cell service unless my wifes phone had full bars ad then I would only have one or two bars of service. The battery would only last around 8 hrs before I had to recharge, without heavy use. It was just always trying to make cell connections without succeeding, draining the battery. The picture quality and colours were poor. The pictures themselves were not as good as my previous s21 ultra. I had a 3 gallon bucket of water dumped on my head and the phone shut off immediately and the battery started to swell breaking the back of the phone. The phone is supposed to be made of ... MoreI received what I believe is a duplicate S21 Ultra from this vendor. It had no IMEI number printed on it like S21 Ultra's are supposed to have. It had very poor conectivity, I wouldn't receive cell service unless my wifes phone had full bars ad then I would only have one or two bars of service. The battery would only last around 8 hrs before I had to recharge, without heavy use. It was just always trying to make cell connections without succeeding, draining the battery. The picture quality and colours were poor. The pictures themselves were not as good as my previous s21 ultra. I had a 3 gallon bucket of water dumped on my head and the phone shut off immediately and the battery started to swell breaking the back of the phone. The phone is supposed to be made of Gorrilla Glass, when the battery swelled breaking the phone it broke into around a dozen pieces of sharp glass that could have easily cut me. Gorrilla Glass isn't supposed to break like that. They refuse to refund me or replace the phone, even though it was a knock off and it received water damage from being splased, not submerged with an IP68 rating. I can't say enough bad things to make me satisfied with this company and the duplicate phone they provided me. I highly recommend that if you are considering using this vendor DONT!

Premium Android device. My favorite all time.

I'll start by saying that I'm someone who usually doesn't hold on to phones that long. I like to be on the cutting edge of technology and until the S series phones haven't had much brand loyalty. I typically switch phones within 6 months to a year of ownership. I believe my first S series phone was the S8. It was game changing to me with it's design and software features. Since that phone I have traded up each year to the next Galaxy S phone, the S8 to the S9. Then to the S10 plus and the S20 plus. When I got the S21 Ultra, it was to me the perfect phone. All the things that I wanted to be added to the previous generations had finally made it with this phone. I actually tried the S22 Ultra but don't really like the more square Note style design so I came back to the ... MoreI'll start by saying that I'm someone who usually doesn't hold on to phones that long. I like to be on the cutting edge of technology and until the S series phones haven't had much brand loyalty. I typically switch phones within 6 months to a year of ownership. I believe my first S series phone was the S8. It was game changing to me with it's design and software features. Since that phone I have traded up each year to the next Galaxy S phone, the S8 to the S9. Then to the S10 plus and the S20 plus. When I got the S21 Ultra, it was to me the perfect phone. All the things that I wanted to be added to the previous generations had finally made it with this phone. I actually tried the S22 Ultra but don't really like the more square Note style design so I came back to the S21 Ultra. After almost 2 years and even trading for another brands flagship phone recently, I immediately regretted my decision and bought another S21 Ultra off Amazon. In my opinion it's the best smartphone ever released and a famous YouTuber claimed it phone of the year in 2021. I will stick with this phone for now. Maybe I'll consider the S 23 plus, but it just seems like I would be downgrading in terms of release variant since I just don't like the design of the Ultra anymore. The S21 Ultra still performs perfectly so I think I'll stick with it especially since it will get software support for 2 more years.

Quality Product That Looks Brand New

The phone is in brand new condition with no marks and is the best phone I have ever had. It is fast with huge storage capacity and a very robust build. I have tested the phone thoroughly and everything is working fine. I bought an original Samsung charger and cable with supercharging capabilities, as these doesn't come with the product. With this charger I can fully charge the phone in about 1hr and 30 minutes with supercharging set on in the phone. The battery last much longer than the older phone devices that I have. I received the USA unlocked version SM-G998U1 and have tested with local UK SIM and receive good connection with calls being clear on the incoming and outgoing end. I have updated the device to the latest Android 14 with no issues. I highly recommend ... MoreThe phone is in brand new condition with no marks and is the best phone I have ever had. It is fast with huge storage capacity and a very robust build. I have tested the phone thoroughly and everything is working fine. I bought an original Samsung charger and cable with supercharging capabilities, as these doesn't come with the product. With this charger I can fully charge the phone in about 1hr and 30 minutes with supercharging set on in the phone. The battery last much longer than the older phone devices that I have. I received the USA unlocked version SM-G998U1 and have tested with local UK SIM and receive good connection with calls being clear on the incoming and outgoing end. I have updated the device to the latest Android 14 with no issues. I highly recommend this product.

Still an amazing flagship in 2024

This phone still impresses in 2024. It still feels every bit a premium flagship phone that hasn't really been left behing even by 2024 flagships. The 10x optical zoom with up to 100x hybrid zoom sounds like a gimmick, and it really would be if not for some stellar assistance to get things in focus from the phone. Shots of the moon are incredible, along with many other applications. Also this phone is still being supported by Samsung with updates that are likely to last another year or 2. Performance is still great. The screen is also still elite with only top end full daylight brightness falling short of the elite 2024 models. The only major demerit for an S21 Ultra in 2024 is the battery life, it hasn't aged well and seems to be 60% or so of the current S24 Ultra. ... MoreThis phone still impresses in 2024. It still feels every bit a premium flagship phone that hasn't really been left behing even by 2024 flagships. The 10x optical zoom with up to 100x hybrid zoom sounds like a gimmick, and it really would be if not for some stellar assistance to get things in focus from the phone. Shots of the moon are incredible, along with many other applications. Also this phone is still being supported by Samsung with updates that are likely to last another year or 2. Performance is still great. The screen is also still elite with only top end full daylight brightness falling short of the elite 2024 models. The only major demerit for an S21 Ultra in 2024 is the battery life, it hasn't aged well and seems to be 60% or so of the current S24 Ultra. This is a combo of degradation of the old along with advances on the new.As far as the specimen received from Best Buy, it didn't disappoint. The screen and body looked new, the only issue was a finicky, but usable charging port.

Underwhelmed

My understanding was the S21 Ultra phone was like new quality or from a restocked opened box. However, the back panels on the phone had hairline cracks. The screen display periodically gets distorted when scrolling in various apps and internet browsers. I could overlook these two issues. Unfortunately, the battery life is significantly less than my 4 year old S10 which is extremely annoying. The phone does not last a day without needing a charge. I use power saving mode and this still does not allow for a full day use. This is phone is not "like new" as described in the listing.