With the release of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, prices on the outgoing Galaxy S24 Ultra have started to drop. Your cost will depend on your chosen model and whether you’re comfortable with a renewed smartphone. However, an Amazon-renewed Galaxy S24 Ultra costs just over $850 — a significant discount from MSRP. If, like many of us, you were left nonplussed by the Galaxy S25 series, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is a fantastic way to stay under the Samsung tent while saving some money. Especially since the Galaxy S24 Ultra still has a lot to offer even after a year on the market.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra being held up to the light


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The Galaxy S24 Ultra is the Samsung I’d buy in 2025

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Why should you buy a Galaxy S24 Ultra in 2025?

The back of a Samsung Galaxy phone showing the cameras and the case is off because of moisture detection

The Galaxy S24 Ultra didn’t feel like an exciting phone to me at $1,300, but I became a lot more favorable towards it once the price cracked $1,000, especially after seeing the Galaxy S25 Ultra. You’re still getting many of the enhancements Samsung has promised for 2025, with One UI 7 on the Galaxy S24 Ultra expected shortly. It also has 6 years of software support left, and I’d be shocked if many of the Galaxy AI improvements we’ve seen demoed on the Galaxy S25 Ultra didn’t make their way to the S24 Ultra.

You won’t be left behind with hardware, either. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset in my Galaxy S24 Ultra still flies, and I have no problems playing the latest AAA mobile gaming titles at high graphical settings while getting silky smooth frame rates. Last year’s Samsung flagship included 12GB of RAM and a 5,000mAh battery, which are stats that remain on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. I’ve gotten excellent battery performance from my S24 Ultra, often topping over 8 hours of screen on time in a single charge. Once Samsung gave us a software slider to control display saturation, I was happy with the panel on the S24 Ultra, and I loved the anti-glare layer on the display.

Buying an S24 Ultra in 2025 also makes financial sense. If you aren’t happy with the S25 Ultra, but your current smartphone is on its last legs, buying an S24 Ultra punts your smartphone decision down the road. You can wait to see what Samsung has in store with the S26 Ultra while recouping most of your investment in the S24 Ultra, even if trade-in offers aren’t as stellar next year. It’s a way to keep in the Samsung software fold while taking a wait-and-see approach to Samsung’s next flagship in 2026.

The S Pen, Front, and Back of the Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Violet on a white background


Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

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It’s not an overhaul by any means, but even small changes like (finally) swapping back to a flat touchscreen and seven years of system updates help the Galaxy S24 Ultra stand apart from its predecessors. Galaxy AI’s suite of features are front and center, as well as Google’s latest utilities like Circle to Search, and this AI craze even brings its magic to the Ultra’s cameras for after-the-fact super slo-mo.

$1300 at Amazon