Looking for some real-world advice from Samsung users! I'm choosing between two refurbished options this month: the.. Galaxy S25 FE.. and the.. Galaxy S25 Ultra.
A few quick details:
Budget:
• Both are under $300 (omitting exact prices to keep focus purely on the hardware).
Use Case:
• Both fit my personal needs, and I already know the raw specs.
I'm looking for hands-on feedback. What are the real-world pros and cons of these two devices, and which one would you choose? Thanks in advance! 😎
By Brian, 1 July, 2026
Forum
Android
Comments
Ultra
No experience with either of these, but if you're looking at renewed options from the same year, an Ultra or a FE, and both are within your budget, I'd go Ultra every time. Not sure the difference in specs here, but I think the Ultra should give you better performance for longer. If there was a bigger price gap between them, and budget was that big of a concern, the FE is still probably a pretty good device, but if you can swing it, go with the better specs.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
definitely go for the Ultra it's a flagship device.
Personally I don't think you could find any S25 Ultra for less than $300 even been refurbished device.
I Second with the Ultra
Though if you're going to buy one, best to grab it from either Back Market or Amazon Renewed
If buying from Back Market, be sure to look around if someone has a promo code, to make the price drop even more!
PS. 8GB RAM on a phone isn't gonna cut it anymore. Gotta be at least 12.
Good point regarding RAM
Thanks @Trenton for the advice on RAM. I suppose with all of the AI stuff nowadays, you're right, 8gb just isn't enough anymore. Sad to consider that a smart phone with 8gb is considered underpowered. 🙄
Would it hurt your mind if I told you my current device, an iPhone SE 2022, only has four GB of RAM? 😇
On a sidenote, I did catch a nice refurbished Samsung Galaxy S25 (the standard version), for under $350 (USD). I may just end up going with that one, it has 12 GB of RAM, and is physically smaller than the FE or Ultra models, which I like since I do not have ginormous hands.
I Hope That Regular S25
is 256GB and not the base 128GB one...
I mean; I guess it depends on how much you tie yourself to the cloud. Just want to make sure you are getting your money's worth.
@Trenton
I completely agree with you. In fact my current device also has 256 GB of storage. I suppose you just really can't do 128 anymore these days.
On that note, I have a question for you. So, I have found a Samsung Galaxy S25+, 256 GB storage, 12 GB RAM, Seller claims it is running Android 16, but at the same time running one UI 6.5.
So my question is, does that sound right to you? And what does it take to upgrade one UI? Asking because whenever one UI 9 rolls out, I definitely would want to put it on this device if it's possible.
@Brian
Android 16 is OneUI 8.5. 6.5 never existed.
OneUI 9 will indeed be supported, as that version is powered by Android 17.
Android 22 (most likely OneUI 14.0), would be your last update.
6.5?
Yeah, 6.5 sounds like a typo to me. My Pixel 10 Pro only has 128 gb, and it's still working for me, but the 16 gb ram is nice.
Thanks guys
It's possible the 6.5 was an AI error. So one of the pictures of the device shows the about page, or whatever the Samsung equivalent of that is. I was using Be My Eyes to identify what was in the photo,and for one UI it was listed as 6.5.
Likely AI just doing its thing... 🙄
As it stands now, I can get:
A Samsung Galaxy S25+ with 256 GB of storage, 12 GB of RAM for $350.
A Samsung Galaxy S25 with 128 GB of storage, 12 GB of RAM for $338.
A Samsung Galaxy S25 FE with 128 GB of storage, 8 GB of RAM for $287.
I should mention that the plus model is, "used", while the other two are, "certified refurbished".
Or
I can switch carriers which I have been considering since mine has merged with T-Mobile, which I am not a fan of at present, and just go with a new device, likely from the S26 series.
I'm leaning toward the S25+ option, although I think it would actually be more cost-effective if I just switch carriers and go with the new device.
Sigh, decisions, decisions. 🤯
AnyTime!
Hmmm...
Yeah, definitely a tough decision there...