Would you buy a refurbished S21 FE?

[PacificaBren]

I bought a "renewed" one off Amazon for a dear friend when her phone died, and the first one they sent seemed to have a battery that was nearing the end of its life, so we exchanged it, and the replacement is working just fine.

I know the S21 FE is kinda old, but it's just such a darned good deal on Amazon right now; they're about $200 to $225 dollars for "renewed" ones.

Heck, a brand new, unopened one is under $380.

I'm seriously tempted to get one for myself, 'cause the app I use for my Dexcom G7 CGM will soon lose support for any Android version older than Android 12.

Regarding that Dexcom app, it requires me to give it permission to circumvent battery saving settings so it can constantly monitor my blood glucose in real time. So maybe I should spring for a brand new phone, and not a refurb, in order to maximize battery life?

I dunno. What's your opinion of the S21 FE? Would you buy one in 2024? That $200 to $225 price is pretty hard to resist.

 

[AugieTN]

If you click on the search icon on the top right of the page and enter S21 FE you'll see all the post here on that phone. There's a few issues posted. Battery, SMS, Fingerprint, WiFi. Nothing real major posted that I saw

 

[ocnbrze]

Any older device is going to have battery issue much sooner than the latest phones. And it will depend on the refurbished phone and if it has a brand new battery. The problem with older phones is that though you might buy it new, it is still sitting on a shelf somewhere. And as it sits, the battery life is still draining even though it is not being used.

So if you are concerned about battery life, I would look into a newer phone than getting an older phone.

 

[PacificaBren]

If you click on the search icon on the top right of the page and enter S21 FE you'll see all the post here on that phone. There's a few issues posted. Battery, SMS, Fingerprint, WiFi. Nothing real major posted that I saw

Thank you! I agree, these don't look like major issues, or ones every S21 FE owner is likely to encounter.

 

[PacificaBren]

Next question: If I buy a refurb phone, how do I test the battery to find out whether it's a dud and should be returned? Is there an app for that?

 

[ocnbrze]

Next question: If I buy a refurb phone, how do I test the battery to find out whether it's a dud and should be returned? Is there an app for that?

not that i am aware of. there are plenty of apps that can monitor what is using up battery life. just keep an eye out for battery life. keep in mind that all new phones (even refurbished ones) will have their battery drain faster because the user will use it more due it being new to them. give it about a week or two to really judge the actual battery life.

 

[kate]

Check battery health on a Samsung phone:
1.Open the Settings app.
2.Select Device Care.
3.Scroll down to the bottom and tap Diagnostics.
4.Tap the Battery status option.

Some apps can report the battery health, but not sure how accurate it would be if you just got the phone.

CPU-Z:

CPU-Z - Apps on Google Play

CPU-Z is an application that reports information about your Android device.

play.google.com

DevCheck:

DevCheck Device & System Info - Apps on Google Play

Testing, tools and complete information about your hardware and operating system

play.google.com

Accubattery:

AccuBattery - Apps on Google Play

AccuBattery monitors battery health performance via science

play.google.com

 

[PacificaBren]

Thank you Kate! Based on the input from this thread, I decided to order a brand new phone. I have an S23 FE on its way to me.

 

[olbriar]

Congrats!!! I hope that it serves you well.