A brand-new flagship phone purchase is a lot harder to justify in 2026. Just the entry-level to premium lineup can near $1,000, while the top models blow past this figure. But Samsung is letting you ease into the high-end experience.
The company has expanded its Certified Re-Newed Galaxy program to Amazon for the first time, bringing 14 configurations from the Galaxy S24 FE, S24, S24+, S24 Ultra, S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra to the retailer. Prices start at $489, although Samsung hasn’t broken down pricing for every configuration in its announcement.
Comparing it to Samsung’s current flagship lineup, namely the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, and Galaxy S26 Ultra, which start at $899, $1,099, and $1,299.99, respectively, these are a lot more approachable. The top-end model can climb as high as $1,799.99.
The more important part is what Samsung means by “Certified Re-Newed.” Every phone is serviced by Samsung specialists using 100% genuine Samsung parts, including a new battery. It then has to clear 147 quality checkpoints before Samsung gives it the Certified Re-Newed label.
Buyers also get a one-year manufacturer warranty, and the phones remain eligible for Samsung Care+. Both the older Ultra models, we called the S24 Ultra one of the most complete and capable smartphones we had used, and we also called the S25 Ultra a flagship powerhouse capable of lasting for years.
Samsung has offered Certified Re-Newed phones through its own store before, and even added the S26 family to that program in September. The only thing changing now is that you can buy Samsung-certified S24 and S25 hardware from the same Amazon storefront millions of people already use.
With Samsung raising the entry price of the Galaxy S26 generation, these older flagships are looking a lot more attractive. New phones will always be shinier, yes, but the Re-Newed models still have years of updates ahead, a fresh battery inside, and Samsung’s official certificate for refurbishment. The best part is, you don’t have to pay full flagship money.
Merely days after the iPhone Duo hit the shelves, images of broken screens on the phone started popping up across social media. Until now, it’s been unclear what’s causing the line of defective pixels that appears vertically along the crease, as well as horizontally, on the phone’s inner display.
Apple has finally acknowledged the issue, which has shown up on iPhone Duo units owned by customers as well as demo units in stores. In a statement shared with Bloomberg, Apple says that not all iPhone Duo units are affected and that those that are tend to show the display fault early on. The company added that users who experience problems with their iPhone Duo display should contact AppleCare for a replacement.
Not long ago, Apple treated independent repair like an act of outright hostility. The Cupertino giant locked down parts with serial-number pairing, while repair tools remained firmly out of reach of anyone outside its authorized repair network. More importantly, the company waged a legal and lobbying battle against right-to-repair legislation.
I've covered enough of these fights over the years to know what a shift looks like. That's why what happened in October 2026 genuinely caught me off guard. The day the iPhone Duo went on sale, what may be the most mechanically complex iPhone to date, Apple pulled off a surprising about-face. It published teardown-style repair manuals for a handful of major components.
Apple's first foldable phone is now on shelves, in short supply, but with an unreal amount of buzz around it. After all, it's the first foldable iPhone, and there's plenty that this phone gets right. But there's also a lot that is either broken or underwhelming. What's peculiar is the dialogue around this phone, and how it has completely overshadowed every other attempt at making a phone with a similar form factor.
I've spent some time with the iPhone Duo, and I've used the Galaxy Z Fold 8 for almost three months now. In my opinion, Samsung deserves more credit. When the Galaxy Z Fold 8 arrived earlier this year, it was celebrated in some circles and ridiculed in others for supposedly copying what Apple would eventually deliver with the iPhone Duo. The dialogue was pretty odd, for multiple reasons. Samsung has been making foldable phones for years, so claiming that it copied a product Apple hadn't even launched was simply absurd.