Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsFirst Renewed Experience, First Samsung Device
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2024
This review is for the phone as well as the process of buying a Renewed item through Amazon.
I purchased this phone because I could not find a phone that isn't massive but that still had the features and performance I require for daily use, so I decided to try this renewed Flip 4. The 90 day return policy and the great price convinced me to try it out. Not sure if I can name the seller in the review but I basically selected the phone in the best condition from the highest-rated seller fulfilled by Amazon.
The phone arrived in blank packaging with a charging cable. It looks like there is a screen protector installed, plus there was a plastic film on top of the screen for packaging. It came half charged. The phone itself looks brand new. No detectable blemishes or signs of use. Hinge is nice and solid.
Full charge was very fast (with fast charger). Setup fairly easy with Samsung transfer app but I am still missing a few passwords and accounts. I can manually add those later.
There is a lot of bloatware from Samsung, plus carrier junk apps. (I think this is carrier unlocked- when I put my SIM it, it applied my carrier settings and apps.)
Battery life (as expected-lots of info on this) is not great. I knew that going in. I am tracking battery usage throughout the day with different levels of use- screen open and closed, dormant or playing videos - and it seems as though this particular device doesn't deplete battery any more than would be typical for a phone this age. I suspect this particular phone was very gently used to begin with. Example: battery depleted about 10-15% overnight with no use, not plugged in. With heavier usage the battery use goes up to about 10% per hour. Not sure if there's anything I can adjust/disable to make this more efficient. My old phone would give me 1.5 to 2 days of a charge with regular use so this will be an adjustment.
The screen is beautiful and easy to see. Samsung is an upgrade overall for me and I am pleased with how smooth it runs. Nice on-screen keyboard, etc. I am not tech savvy so there are probably too many customization options for me personally. I really just want a phone that works well for calls, that I can text on and use internet and maps periodically. This should do the job just fine.
No SD storage and no headphone jack. I guess that's becoming customary.
The device doesn't seem flimsy at all. That being said, I would get a case ASAP in the event of inadvertent drops - it happens.
Signal and connection seem good, as does speaker quality. The fingerprint sensor is on the side near the volume buttons. Not sure I am crazy about this placement and it never registers the first time for me, but I think that's probably a user (me) problem.
Overall I had a very good experience buying Renewed. Anyone who is interested in trying a flip smartphone, this is very economical option without a major commitment. I will update my review accordingly if, within 90 days, anything goes haywire on the device.