There are plenty of tech products out there. Some are great buys offering excellent value, but others aren’t. Most fall somewhere in the middle.
Unless you have the means to buy one of everything, you have to decide if something is the right fit for you. That can be hard; the companies making them will tell you that you need one to make your life complete, people who got a lemon or just didn’t like it will say the product is garbage, and reviewers simply can’t cover everything.
So many tech products! It can help if you take a breath, a step back, and think about what you really need. We’re here to help you do just that!
Often, it’s good to take a step back and see what you’re going to get inside that pretty package. Was it worth what you paid for it? Will you get enough use from it to justify the purchase? Or maybe, you should hold off and see what’s coming next.
We can’t make those decisions for you, but we can tell you what we think and maybe where you should start your decision-making process.
Foldables are hot, and Samsung is now offering the Galaxy Z Fold 5 as certified renewed on its website. Should you buy it?
Why buy a renewed device?
There are some really good reasons why you might want to buy a certified refurbished phone, especially when the original manufatcturer is the one certifying it.
The biggest, and the one you’ve probably already thought of, is that you’ll usually save a good bit of money. Phones are one of those things that start to lose value the minute you buy them, but that doesn’t mean they don’t work as well as a brand-new one will. Everyone likes to save a little money.
There is one other good reason to look at a certified device – someone who knows how it should work has looked at it in person. We all know sometimes phone launches can be a little problematic, and small bugs end up in users’ hands. Those bugs usually get fixed right away if they can be.
Whether a phone was returned because of those bugs or not, whatever “fix” was done should be applied as part of the renewal. Some things, like small scratches, are acceptable, but when things don’t work as they should, the phone won’t be resold until they do.
Finally, saving an electronic device from the landfill and giving it a new life is good for our planet. That’s enough reason to search out “used” phones!
None of this guarantees the value is there, though. And for this deal, it’s totally not something you should buy.
The Pros
As mentioned above, buying a renewed device can be a great idea. Foldables are no different, and there are a few extra reasons why.
You’re probably going to get a new screen protector. You might think that’s not a big deal, but I’m talking about the factory-installed polymer screen protector that should never be removed. Polymer is a fancy word for plastic, and it’s soft. It gets microscratches and fingernail dents on it a lot easier than glass would. You can’t change it yourself, but Samsung can.
The display should be inspected and have a full warranty. Any tiny scratch on a foldable screen can be a death sentence, and even with that screen protector, it happens.
The hinge will have been inspected. The hinge is the most important component on a phone that folds, and it has to be perfect; at least be 100% within the design specs. Someone will have looked at this one and made sure.
The cons
There are two reasons why I wouldn’t recommend this deal to anyone.
The price is crazy high. Samsung’s asking $1,169 for a used and refreshed phone that’s two generations old. Simply put, that’s about $400 more than you should ever spend on a Galaxy Z Fold 5 in 2025. If you really want a renewed Fold 5, you can pick up the same model at Amazon for $684.
Finally, the Fold 5 is two generations old. That means the hinge design is older and not as good as what’s offered today. I can’t stress how important the hinge on a foldable is. If it’s not spot-on, things go bad.
My verdict
Don’t buy the Fold 5 refurbished from Samsung. In fact, I find it hard to recommend an older foldable to anyone because the tech that makes a phone fold improves a lot every generation.
I know foldables are pricey, and the temptation to save a bunch of money is strong. If you really want one and have a set budget, grab the Amazon recertified Fold 5 instead.
Better yet, look at some of the other foldables out there and see if you can find a great deal!
