The refurbished S9 is still a great phone

Is the S9 still a good phone to buy?

Updated on January 25, 2024

A refurbished Android phone like the S9 is still a good value for the money, but you sacrifice key software updates and recent technology improvements. Here's what you need to know!

Is it still worth buying an S9?

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus were originally released in March 2018, so how does it hold up today? For starters, you can find the S9 on Back Market for under $100, so keep that in mind as you read about what this phone has to offer. At the time of its release, the Galaxy S9 series was Samsungs flagship phone and offered a number of upgrades over its predecessors.  However, just 4 years after its release, Samsung announced that the Galaxy S9 will no longer receive security updates and will therefor cease all software updates for this model. So the short answer is that the Galaxy S9 is no longer worth buying in 2023 for the majority of consumers, but if you have no need for the most recent updates and technologies offered on smartphones, you can definitely save big on the S9.

For the biggest Samsung Galaxy savings, you don't even have to wait until Black Friday 2021 to find a cheap deal because you can find amazing deals on used and refurbished phones on Back Market all year long!

Is the S9 a good phone?

The S9 is starting to fall behind the newest Android flagships in areas like battery life, low-light photography, and speed, but this is still a great phone to use and still feels premium. Some of the more recent models have even adopted a few of the S9's introductory features like the curved display around the sides. Overall the display still looks great and depending on the condition, you should still experience solid performance for liesurely gaming, streaming, and web browsing. The only downside as mentioned earlier is that you will not receive the most recent software updates, so you'll lose out on newer features and bug fixes. Bottom line is if you're a minimal smartphone user that just appreciates a nice display and reliable performance and you're not interested in improved software features, then the S9 is definitely still a good phone to consider especially at prices under $100.

Which is better, the S9 or the S9 Plus?

The biggest difference between the Galaxy S9 and the S9 Plus comes down to the screen size with each measuring diagonally 5.8 and 6.2 inches respectively. You can probably find both these models around the same $100 price range, so if a bigger screen makes a difference to you, then you should go with the S9 Plus. Other than that, the S9 Plus also has an additional camera lens, larger display, a higher capacity battery and a bigger RAM by 2GB. You can get a more detailed look at how the S9 and S9 Plus specs compare with our online smartphone comparison tool.

How long will a Galaxy S9 last?

Thanks to its Snapdragon 845 chip, the S9 should perform well up to four years on average. And even though this phone is not receiving any more major Android OS updates, you can still expect Samsung to release security patches that will keep this phone safe. When you're shopping for a used and refurbished Galaxy S9, just make sure you're getting it from a reliable seller like Back Market. We make sure all our phones go through proper repair, examination, cleaning and testing to ensure it's performing like new and our smartphone batteries are rated to at least 80% of their original capacity. This should give you a similar useful life as if you were buying it new in 2018, but for more peace of mind, we also offer a 1-year warranty with all our smartphone purchases.

Why is my S9 battery dying so fast?

Cuz you’re using it too much! Just kidding. After a couple years of daily charging, you will notice your battery longevity starting to suffer, but your local repair shop can easily rectify this problem. Some S9 users report issues with app power management (invisible tasks running in the background of the device; eating up battery) but these can usually be rectified with a factory reset (despite the name, this can be performed at home).

Deciding between the Galaxy S9 and S10?

The Galaxy S10 is a total overhaul of the S9, and feels like a completely new phone (because it is). It's regarded as one of Samsung's best flagship upgrades when it was released a year after the S9 in 2019. One of the biggest upgrades was to the camera system - the S10 has three rear cameras compared to just one on the S9 giving it much more advanced photography capabilities. The S10 is also equipped with more maximum storage, RAM, and battery capacity, but you can better compare the S10 and S9 using our comparison tool. If you have the extra money to spend, a refurbished S10 would probably be the better choice, especially with options from Back Market in the $100 range.

Is the S9 a lot better than the S8?

Many people complained that the S9 wasn’t a big enough improvement over the S8. It’s true, the S9 feels a lot like the S8, but it has better biometrics (face unlock, a better positioned fingerprint reader) and improved low-light camera performance.

Sell us your old Samsung Galaxy

Do you have an older Samsung Galaxy model that you’re looking to upgrade? Or maybe you're looking to sell your old Galaxy S9? Let us help by paying you for your old phone so you have a little more room in your budget to get the Galaxy S9 or another smartphone that you've been eyeing. Selling your Samsung Galaxy to Back Market is as easy as it gets: get a free offer from us in under 2 minutes online and upon approval, we'll pay for your shipping and send you a direct cash deposit once it's been received. You get paid and the planet catches a break from electronic waste - win win!

Is it still worth buying an S9?

At the time of its release, the Galaxy S9 series was Samsungs flagship phone and offered a number of upgrades over its predecessors. However, just 4 years after its release, Samsung announced that the Galaxy S9 will no longer recieve security updates and will therefor cease all software updates for this model. So the short anwer is that the Galaxy S9 is no longer worth buying in 2023 for the majority of consumers, but if you have no need for the most recent updates and technologies offered on smartphones, you can definitely save big on the S9.

Is the S9 a good phone?

The S9 is starting to fall behind the newest Android flagships in areas like battery life, low-light photography, and speed, but this is still a great phone to use and still feels premium. Some of the more recent models have even adopted a few of the S9's introductory features like the curved display around the sides. Overall the display still looks great and depending on the condition, you should still experience solid performance for liesurely gaming, streaming, and web browsing. The only downside as mentioned earlier is that you will not receive the most recent software updates, so you'll lose out on newer features and bug fixes. Bottom line is if you're a minimal smartphone user that just appreciates a nice display and reliable performance and you're not interested in improved software features, then the S9 is definitely still a good phone to consider especially at prices under $100.

Which is better, the S9 or the S9 Plus?

he biggest difference between the Galaxy S9 and the S9 Plus comes down to the screen size with each measuring diagonally 5.8 and 6.2 inches respectively. You can probably find both these models around the same $100 price range, so if a bigger screen makes a difference to you, then you should go with the S9 Plus. Other than that, the S9 Plus also has an additional camera lens, larger display, a higher capacity battery and a bigger RAM by 2GB.

How long will a Galaxy S9 last?

Thanks to its Snapdragon 845 chip, the S9 should perform well up to four years on average. And even though this phone is not receiving any more major Android OS updates, you can still expect Samsung to release security patches that will keep this phone safe. When you're shopping for a used and refurbished Galaxy S9, just make sure you're getting it from a reliable seller like Back Market.

Why is my S9 battery dying so fast?

Cuz you’re using it too much! Just kidding. After a couple years of daily charging, you will notice your battery longevity starting to suffer, but your local repair shop can easily rectify this problem. Some S9 users report issues with app power management (invisible tasks running in the background of the device; eating up battery) but these can usually be rectified with a factory reset (despite the name, this can be performed at home).

Deciding between the Galaxy S9 and S10?

The Galaxy S10 is a total overhaul of the S9, and feels like a completely new phone (because it is). It's regarded as one of Samsung's best flagship upgrades when it was released a year after the S9 in 2019. One of the biggest upgrades was to the camera system - the S10 has three rear cameras compared to just one on the S9 giving it much more advanced photography capabilities. The S10 is also equipped with more maximum storage, RAM, and battery capacity, but you can better compare the S10 and S9 using our comparison tool. If you have the extra money to spend, a refurbished S10 would probably be the better choice, especially with options from Back Market in the $100 range.

Is the S9 a lot better than the S8?

Many people complained that the S9 wasn’t a big enough improvement over the S8. It’s true, the S9 feels a lot like the S8, but it has better biometrics (face unlock, a better positioned fingerprint reader) and improved low-light camera performance.

Back Market

Written by Miguel GarzaSr. Tech Copywriter (US)

Miguel is always looking for new ways to provide unique perspective on popular tech and has taken his writing to the refurbished industry to promote sustainability. Outside of creating content, you might find him travelling the globe, coaching a fitness class, or cheering on his favorite sports teams (Go Dolphins!)

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