The vast majority of people buy Samsung’s Galaxy A phones because they’re more affordable. Flagship phones from Samsung (like all other flagship phones these days) cost a small fortune, and prices will not be going down any time soon.
You might be buying the Galaxy A56 5G because you don’t really care about phones and you just want something that isn’t too expensive, fairly reliable with updates (the A56 5G will get Android updates up until 2032), and has decent-enough specs and battery life.
In this context, the Galaxy A56 5G ticks most boxes. There’s a reason why Samsung’s entire business model is propped up by its lower-cost phones (not its flagships).
But what if you could get a phone that cost $899 18 months ago for less than the cost of a Samsung Galaxy A56 5G? That’d be better, right? Well, that’s where refurbished phones earn their cred.
I’d Buy Refurbished Pixel 9 Over A New Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
You can buy a refurbished Pixel 9 for $356 right now which makes it one of the best value Android phones available right now.
The main reason for this is simple: the Pixel 9 is a proper, balls-to-the-wall Android phone; there’s no bloatware, you get updates and new features (via Pixel drops) as soon as they’re ready, and it comes with all of Google’s native AI features.
The camera is orders of magnitude better than the still-very-capable module on the A56 5G too, and that applies to video footage as well. For me, the Pixel 9 is a more well-rounded option.
Yes, it’s refurbished but so what? I run a refurbished iPhone 15 Pro Max (I got one late last year) and it looks and runs as good as new.
The second reason is updates. Yes, Samsung’s new Android support policy is welcome. But what most people don’t realize is that even with extended six-year support, you’ll still be waiting months and months for new Android updates to land.
With a Pixel phone, you get them right away. Literally as soon as they’re released. And that includes Pixel drops as well which add in new, usually pretty useful features and quality-of-life updates.
And if you want to go outside the Android kingdom, you can grab one of Apple’s Pro or Pro Max models from its iPhone 13 range for less than $400 and that phone, while old, still runs rings around both the Pixel 9 (in some respects, at least) and the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G.
I’d always advise, with refurbished phones, whether iPhone or Android-based, to only go two generations back; so the iPhone 14 and Pixel 8 and Samsung Galaxy S24, respectively.
This ensures you get the most bang for your buck with updates and support.
Older models like the Galaxy S22 and iPhone 11 retail for next to nothing these days but there’s a reason for this: they’re either no longer supported or about to reach end-of-life. You don’t want either of those things.
- Compare all today’s trending refurbished phone deals.
- Browse the latest Samsung refurbished phones.
- Check out how much you could save on Google’s Pixel phones by going refurbished
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