Reviews & Comparisons · Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Used Buying Guide: What to Inspect Before You Pay
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is a previous-generation flagship that went on sale in the US on 7 February 2025 — so a used one is a titanium flagship at roughly half its launch price, not a rescued old phone. Recent sold samples tracked on 4 November 2026 include a 256GB unlocked unit at $509 and a 512GB unlocked unit at $639, against Samsung’s $1,299.99 list price for 256GB. But the launch cohort is now outside Samsung’s standard 1-year warranty, so a used buy has no warranty safety net unless the individual unit was bought later — and the traps are the ones a one-generation-old listing can hide: a bent frame that disqualifies the $279 front-screen repair, a swollen battery, a worn battery with no published Samsung replacement price, a locked or financed phone, and copy pasted from the S26 Ultra, the S25+ or the base S25. This guide is the inspection, in the order to run it.
How we reviewed — methodology & evidence note
This is a desk review: FixUpPhone has not bought or handled the specific used phones discussed, and nothing here is a hands-on test. The checklist is built from Samsung’s published specifications and US repair terms for this model (Samsung product pages and Samsung US Support, via the FixUpPhone Galaxy S25 Ultra research pack, checked 15 October 2026), Samsung’s suggested front-screen repair price and Care+ terms re-checked 5 November 2026, and used-market data read from sold-listing trackers on 4–5 November 2026. Every figure is labelled by origin — manufacturer specification, manufacturer claim, manufacturer suggested price or marketplace sold sample — and used prices move daily, so re-check on the day you buy. The list prices are headlined as last checked 15 October 2026, with the 5 November 2026 re-check finding no rise.
Quick Expert Summary
Verdict: A used Galaxy S25 Ultra is the value way into Samsung’s previous flagship — recent sold samples on 4 November 2026 include a 256GB unlocked unit at $509 and a 512GB unlocked unit at $639, against a $1,299.99 list price for 256GB — provided the unit passes the full inspection below. Two facts shape this market. First, launch buyers are outside Samsung’s 1-year warranty (expired around February 2026), so a used unit’s warranty depends entirely on its own purchase date — verify it with Samsung, and do not pay a warranty premium for a launch-day phone. Second, Samsung US publishes only one static repair price — $279 for a front-screen-only repair, re-confirmed 5 November 2026 — and it is void if the frame is bent or broken, the battery is swollen, or another hardware failure is found; everything else is quoted after diagnosis. Buy the checklist, not the listing photo.
Evidence note: prices are marketplace sold samples dated 4 November 2026; specifications and repair terms are Samsung’s for this model.
Works in a used buyer’s favour
- Recent 256GB sales at $509 — roughly 60% below the $1,299.99 list price
- Seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates from launch
- Samsung’s published $279 front-screen price gives screen damage a known ceiling
- Battery health, locks and warranty status are checkable on the phone before you pay
Watch out for
- Launch-cohort units are outside Samsung’s 1-year warranty — verify the individual unit’s date
- A bent frame or swollen battery disqualifies the $279 front-screen tier entirely
- A claimed 16GB, 128GB, Exynos, Bluetooth S Pen or 25W wireless unit does not exist on this model
- A locked, financed or unpaid phone can be blocked after payment
① The Phone You Are Buying
Specifications below are Samsung’s for this model (manufacturer specifications, checked 15 October 2026, unless labelled otherwise). They matter to a used buyer twice over: they define what “correct” looks like during inspection, and they expose mislabelled listings.
| Item | What to verify on the unit |
|---|---|
| Model & storage | Galaxy S25 Ultra, US models SM-S938U / SM-S938U1, sold only as 12GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB or 12GB + 1TB. There is no 16GB US tier and no 128GB tier — a listing claiming either is wrong about the product (the 16GB 1TB variant exists only in select non-US markets). There is no microSD slot, so storage cannot be added later. |
| Display | 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, QHD+; 3120 × 1440 (~498 ppi) attributed to spec databases (Samsung’s own copy states the QHD+ class only), 1–120Hz adaptive, 2,600-nit peak brightness (manufacturer specification). ProScaler is present (S25+ and S25 Ultra only); there is no Privacy Display on this model — that is an S26 Ultra feature. Under-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. |
| Chip & software | Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy in all regions — the whole S25 series is Snapdragon-only globally; there is no Exynos variant anywhere, and never add “Gen 5” to this chip. Launched on Android 15 with One UI 7, with seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates (manufacturer policy as reported at launch). |
| Build | Titanium frame (Samsung’s footnote limits the claim to the device frame, excluding the volume and side keys). Corning Gorilla Armor 2 on the front; Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back — attribute the back-glass name to spec databases / launch spec tables, never call the back Gorilla Armor. Weight 218 g; 162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm (manufacturer specifications). The rear cameras are individual lenses — there is no raised camera-island housing story on this model. Finishes at retail: Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Whitesilver and Titanium Gray, plus Samsung.com-exclusive Titanium Jetblack, Titanium Jadegreen and Titanium Pinkgold. |
| Cameras | Quad rear set only: 200MP Wide ƒ/1.7 (24mm, OIS), 50MP Ultra Wide ƒ/1.9 (120° field of view, autofocus present and macro-capable — no ultra-wide focal-length figure exists, so do not expect one printed), 50MP Periscope Telephoto ƒ/3.4 (111mm, 5x optical, OIS), 10MP Telephoto ƒ/2.4 (67mm, 3x optical, OIS), Laser AF, 100x Space Zoom — which is digital (10x is an optical-quality crop), never optical. Front 12MP ƒ/2.2 (26mm, per GSMArena and PhoneArena in agreement). No 5x lens at ƒ/2.9 and no ƒ/1.4 main lens — those are the S26 Ultra’s figures. |
| Battery & charging | 5,000 mAh typical / 4,855 mAh rated (manufacturer specification). Video playback up to 31 hours is the only published usage figure (manufacturer claim, lab conditions) — Samsung publishes no audio-playback, typical-use or talk-time figure for this model. Charging: 45W wired, Super Fast Charging 2.0, “up to 65% in around 30 minutes” as the only charge-time claim (manufacturer claim — no 0–100% time exists); 15W wireless (never 25W — that is a pre-launch leak figure and the S26 Ultra’s wattage); 4.5W reverse. Qi2 Ready with no built-in magnets — magnetic alignment requires a magnetic case. |
| S Pen | Built in, stored in a silo, and itself IP68-rated — but it has no Bluetooth, no internal battery and no Air Actions. Air Command remains. A listing advertising a Bluetooth S Pen, a charging pen or a remote shutter is describing the S24 Ultra or repeating an erroneous January 2025 Samsung blog claim that Samsung itself corrected on 27 January 2025. Test the pen in its silo: it should slide out and back in smoothly and write on the screen. |
| Connectivity & SIM | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 (never 6.0 — that is the S26 Ultra; never 5.3 — a pre-launch leak), NFC, UWB present, USB-C USB 3.2 with DisplayPort 1.2 and DeX (spec databases). US model has a physical nano-SIM slot plus eSIM (max two lines active) — never eSIM-only, never dual-physical-SIM for the US. |
| Original price & current status | Announced 22 January 2025; US general availability 7 February 2025 (GSMArena’s “3 February” listing is not the US date). US list prices, last checked 15 October 2026 and with no rise found at the 5 November 2026 re-check: $1,299.99 / $1,419.99 / $1,659.99 (256GB / 512GB / 1TB). The S26 line’s October 2026 price rise does not apply here. |
The tier red flags. A listing advertising a “16GB S25 Ultra”, a “128GB S25 Ultra”, an Exynos chip, a Bluetooth S Pen, a 5x periscope at ƒ/2.9, an ƒ/1.4 main camera, Armor Aluminum, a Privacy Display, built-in Qi2 magnets, 25W wireless charging or a 75%-in-30-minutes charge claim is describing a different phone — the S26 Ultra, the S24 Ultra or the base S25 — or wishful thinking. The same logic catches accessories: a case or screen protector bundled as “fits S25 and S25 Ultra” fits neither properly, since this model’s 162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm body, individual-lens camera layout and S Pen silo differ from its siblings’. Treat any mismatch as a reason to walk away or re-verify everything from the model number up.
② The Inspection Checklist
Run these checks in order — the early ones are free and instant, and a failure at any step ends the negotiation before money moves.
1. Identity: model, storage, serial
Open Settings → About phone and read the model name (SM-S938U / SM-S938U1 in the US), storage and RAM yourself; never rely on the listing text. Cross-check storage against the only three US tiers this phone was sold in (256GB, 512GB, 1TB, all with 12GB RAM) and the finish against the seven launch colours. Confirm it is the 6.9-inch, 218 g S25 Ultra in hand — not the smaller S25 or S25+, not the S26 Ultra — since listings borrow each other’s copy freely. Ask for the original purchase receipt or order confirmation: on this model it is not paperwork for its own sake, it is the proof of whether any warranty remains at all.
2. Warranty and coverage: the check that protects the money
Every Galaxy S25 Ultra carries Samsung’s standard 1-year limited warranty — but the phone went on sale 7 February 2025, so launch buyers are outside their warranty year (expired around February 2026). Warranty runs one year from each buyer’s own purchase date, so a unit bought later may individually still be in term; verify the individual phone’s purchase date and remaining cover with Samsung before you pay, and price a unit with warranty time left above a launch-day unit. If the seller claims Samsung Care+, ask for the plan proof and confirm the claim fees yourself — standard Care+ is $29 per cracked-screen or back-glass claim, $0 / $0 with Theft and Loss, with battery repairs included subject to a diagnostic confirming 79% or less capacity. Do not assume a Care+ plan transfers with the phone; confirm it with Samsung. Liquid damage is not covered by the standard warranty even inside the year, and IP68 (1.5 m freshwater, 30 minutes, lab conditions, not permanent) is a test rating, not a promise that a used phone is still sealed.
3. Locks, carrier status and accounts
Confirm the phone is factory-reset and removed from the seller’s Samsung and Google accounts before payment — a phone still signed in is unusable to you. Confirm it is fully paid off and carrier-unlocked if that is what is advertised (US model: physical nano-SIM plus eSIM, max two lines active), and check the IMEI against a carrier blocklist where the marketplace offers it. A financed phone can be blocked later by the carrier, and on a flagship that risk is worth more than any discount. For in-person sales, complete the account-removal and a test call together, before money moves.
4. Screen and back glass
Check the front for cracks, even brightness, true colour and responsive touch across the whole surface, including the edges — a dead strip or lagging corner is exactly what our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra screen not responding fix guide covers. Test the under-display fingerprint sensor, since it lives in the display assembly: a screen replacement replaces it too. Turn the phone over: Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back and the four individual lenses are one rear surface story, and Samsung US publishes no back-glass price — a cracked back is a quoted-after-diagnosis repair, not a $279 job. Ask directly whether either panel has ever been replaced, and with what; a cheap non-original display is the most common hidden downgrade on used phones. If the front screen needs replacing and the frame is straight, the battery is not swollen and no other failure is found, Samsung’s suggested front-screen-only price is $279 (re-confirmed 5 November 2026) — price it in or walk.
5. S Pen, cameras, buttons, ports and radios
Slide the S Pen out of its silo and write with it — it needs no charging and no Bluetooth pairing, and Air Command should open; a pen that sticks, wobbles or does not write is a real defect on this model, and a missing pen is a cost to price in. Shoot a photo with all four rear cameras and the front camera, including a 5x shot, and look for spots, focus hunting or a fogged lens (persistent focus trouble is covered in our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra camera not focusing fix guide). Press the side key and volume rocker, plug in a USB-C cable and confirm charging starts (see our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra not charging guide if it does not), and play audio through the speaker. Then check the radios before money moves: make a test call and confirm cellular signal holds (see our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra no service guide if it does not), and join a Wi-Fi network and load a page (our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Wi-Fi not working guide covers the failure modes). Each failure maps to a quoted-after-diagnosis repair — none of them should be discovered after payment.
6. Battery, water and repair history: ask, then verify what you can
Check battery health in Settings and watch how the phone behaves in hand — a unit that sheds charge abnormally fast in a short test is telling you something the percentage alone does not; our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra battery draining fast guide lists the causes worth ruling out. Samsung publishes no standalone US battery price, so a worn battery is a service-flow quote, not a fixed figure — negotiate it into the price. The EU energy label’s 44:54h standardised endurance and 2,000-cycle / 80%-retention figures are regulatory context only, never Samsung usage claims. Ask plainly: has it been wet, opened, or repaired, and by whom? Liquid damage is not warranty-covered at any age, and it is the one history that can kill a phone months later. One safety note that applies to any used phone: if the battery is swollen — a lifting screen, a bulging back — do not buy the phone and do not ship it anywhere; a swollen battery is a hazard, not a bargaining chip.
Pros & Cons of Buying This Phone Used
Pros
- Previous flagship at a used discount — 256GB sales at $509 against a $1,299.99 list price
- Seven years of OS and security updates ahead from its February 2025 launch
- A published $279 front-screen price makes screen damage negotiable in dollars
- Titanium frame, Gorilla Armor 2 front and a full quad-camera set at a mid-range price
Cons
- Launch-cohort units are outside Samsung’s 1-year warranty — no safety net by default
- No published Samsung US price for battery, back glass, camera or charging-port repairs
- A bent frame or swollen battery removes the $279 front-screen tier entirely
- Used units carry no return policy unless the seller or marketplace gives one
③ Before You Pay: Price Sanity and Buying Route
The only price anchors worth trusting are completed sales and live listing floors, not asking prices. Figures below are dated 4–5 November 2026:
| Reference | Figure | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Recent sold samples, 4 Nov 2026 | 256GB Unlocked $509 (4 Nov); 256GB Unlocked $509 (4 Nov); 512GB Unlocked $639 (4 Nov); 512GB Unlocked $900 (4 Nov); 1TB Unlocked $780.19 (4 Nov) | Marketplace data (sold-listing tracker, 4 Nov 2026) |
| Average used price, 4 Nov 2026 | About $633 across 598 sold listings in the last 30 days — 49% of the $1,300 launch price | Marketplace data (sold-listing tracker, 4 Nov 2026) |
| Swappa price data, 15 Oct 2026 | 256GB average sale price about $661 | Marketplace data (Swappa price tracker, via reporting 15 Oct 2026) |
| Samsung Certified Re-Newed anchor | From $969.00 (Samsung US, read 5 Nov 2026) | Manufacturer (Samsung US Certified Re-Newed page) |
| US list price (last checked 15 Oct 2026) | $1,299.99 / $1,419.99 / $1,659.99 (256GB / 512GB / 1TB) | Manufacturer list; no rise found at the 5 Nov 2026 re-check |
| Launch price (historical anchor only) | $1,299.99 / $1,419.99 / $1,659.99 | Manufacturer (launch, Feb 2025) |
Total cost, not ticket price. A 256GB unit at a $509 sale price that needs a front-screen repair is a $788 purchase ($509 + $279, our calculation) before you have used it a day — and only if the frame is straight and the battery is not swollen. A cracked back has no published price at all, so its quote is unknown until diagnosis. Negotiate from the checklist findings, each priced by the fee table below or by a FixUp assessment quote, rather than from the listing’s optimism. A used unit earns its price by sitting clearly below the $969 Certified Re-Newed starting figure after its likely first repair, or by carrying verified remaining warranty of its own.
Where to buy. Prefer routes with enforceable standards: a marketplace that certifies the phone, checks the IMEI and requires the seller’s account to be removed. For in-person sales, run the full inspection before payment and complete the account-removal steps together.
④ Repairs, Warranty & What It Means for You
Samsung US publishes only one static repair price for this model. That shape — one price, everything else quoted after diagnosis — is the honest frame for every used negotiation:
| Repair | Samsung US position | With Samsung Care+ |
|---|---|---|
| Front screen only | $279 suggested price (re-confirmed 5 Nov 2026); may vary by region/store, excludes taxes/fees; only if frame not bent/broken, battery not swollen, no other hardware failure | $29 per claim (standard); $0 with Theft and Loss |
| Screen Module Replacement (screen + bezel/frame + battery) | Listed “–” — no published price | Claim terms as per plan |
| Battery (standalone) | No published price — quoted after diagnosis | Included, subject to ≤79% capacity diagnostic |
| Back glass, rear camera, charging port | No published price — quoted after diagnosis | Back glass $29 / $0; other faults per plan terms |
| Lost / stolen replacement | Not a repair price | Deductible $99–$199 range only (Theft and Loss); no S25-Ultra-specific point figure published |
Fees: Samsung US Support, Cracked Screen Repair and Care+ pages. No per-model Care+ monthly price is published by Samsung (third-party tier reporting conflicts — $13/mo appears with both $259 and $269 24-month figures). Samsung repairs carry a 90-day repair warranty; Samsung’s mail-in estimate is 5–7 business days. Never fill the gaps above with the S26 Ultra’s $289, the S25+’s $209, the base S25’s $189, or the $259 figure — $259 is the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s line in Samsung’s own table, not this model’s.
The warranty reality
Samsung’s standard 1-year limited warranty runs from the original purchase date. This model went on sale 7 February 2025, so launch buyers are outside their warranty year — expired around February 2026 — the opposite of a current-model buying guide. There is no model-level expiry to quote for later buyers; read the individual unit’s purchase date and confirm its remaining cover with Samsung. Liquid damage and accidental damage are excluded from the standard warranty at any age, and an active Care+ plan, where one exists, is a separate thing to verify.
FixUp’s role: check before you commit, repair if you buy
Bring a candidate phone — or send it after purchase — to FixUp for an assessment: battery health, screen originality, S Pen function, cameras, charging and damage can be checked, and any repair is quoted after assessment; we do not publish repair prices in advance. Repairs take 1–7 days and carry a 3-month warranty. Booking is a request our team confirms, not an instant confirmation.
- Lynwood: 3100 E Imperial Hwy, Store M1002, Lynwood, CA 90262 — daily 11 AM–8 PM — (805) 857-4225
- Santa Barbara: 619 A State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 — Mon–Fri 11 AM–8 PM, Sat 10 AM–8 PM, Sun 12 PM–7 PM — (805) 857-4226
- Las Vegas: 875 S Grand Central Pkwy, Unit TT32, Las Vegas, NV 89106 — Mon–Sat 10 AM–8 PM, Sun 10 AM–7 PM — (818) 482-3605
Mail-in works nationwide: how mail-in repair works. The customer pays inbound shipping and FixUp pays return shipping; back up first, confirm our instructions before shipping, and never mail a hot or swollen phone. Start from book a repair or contact the team (support@fixupphone.com).
⑤ The Decision
Buy used if the unit passes every check, carries verifiable warranty time or a price that already assumes none, and sits clearly below the $969 Certified Re-Newed starting figure after its likely first repair. Pay toward the top of the used range only for documented extras: a later purchase date with warranty time left, a receipt, mint glass, a working S Pen and a high battery reading. Choose refurbished instead whenever a used phone’s price plus its likely first repair closes on a warrantied refurbished figure — the framework is in our companion Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra refurbished buying guide. Walk away from any lock, balance or identity problem at any price, from a claimed 16GB, 128GB or Exynos unit on principle, and from any seller who will not let you run the checklist. Comparing repair-versus-replace maths on a phone you already own? Start with our repair-or-replace guide, and if you are selling rather than buying, a trade-in quote sets your floor.
⑥ Alternatives Worth Considering
Certified refurbished. A refurbished unit trades a higher price for a seller warranty and a graded, checked device. Samsung’s own Certified Re-Newed Galaxy S25 Ultra starts at $969.00 (Samsung US, read 5 November 2026) — the benchmark a used price must beat after repairs. The full framework is in our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra refurbished buying guide, the companion to this guide in this series.
New, at list. At $1,299.99 for 256GB (last checked 15 October 2026, no rise found 5 November 2026), a new unit buys a full warranty year from your purchase date and a sealed phone — worth it when used prices for mint units climb near that figure, or when no used unit passes the checklist cleanly.
A newer S26 Ultra instead. If the used S25 Ultra keeps pushing toward new money, the S26 Ultra buys a Privacy Display, faster 60W wired and 25W wireless charging and two more years of support — but it is a different phone, not a cheaper S25 Ultra: its Armor Aluminum frame, ƒ/1.4 main camera, 214 g weight and $1,399.99 list price do not transfer here, so judge it on its own facts.
Accessories to Budget From Day One
A used phone arrives without the protection budget a new buyer plans for. Budget for two things before anything else: a case cut for this exact 6.9-inch S25 Ultra body — with individual-lens camera cutouts and an open S Pen silo, since S25, S25+ and S26 Ultra cases do not fit — and a screen protector matched to this model’s 6.9-inch panel and its under-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. Remember the phone itself has no built-in Qi2 magnets: if you want magnetic snap-on alignment, it must come from a magnetic case. No product is named or priced here; the companion cases and screen-protector guides in this series carry the verified products and fit criteria in full.
Everything in our accessories shop is listed with its fit stated; whichever case you choose, confirm it names the Galaxy S25 Ultra itself — not the S25, S25+ or S26 Ultra.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a used Galaxy S25 Ultra still under warranty?
Not as a model — launch buyers are outside Samsung’s 1-year warranty, which expired around February 2026 for phones bought on 7 February 2025. Warranty runs one year from each buyer’s own purchase date, so verify the individual phone’s purchase date and remaining cover with Samsung before you pay, and price a unit with time left above a launch-day unit.
What is a fair price for a used Galaxy S25 Ultra?
On 4 November 2026, sold samples included 256GB unlocked units at $509 and a 512GB unlocked unit at $639, with an average of about $633 across 598 sold listings in the last 30 days. Mint phones with warranty time left sit toward the top for their tier; worn or repaired phones belong well below it. Re-check on the day you buy.
How do I verify the storage tier on the unit in front of me?
Read it on the phone, not the listing: Settings → About phone shows the model and capacity. This model was sold in the US only in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB, all with 12GB RAM — a unit showing 128GB or 16GB RAM is not a US Galaxy S25 Ultra at all, whatever the listing says.
Which storage tier should I buy?
256GB is the entry tier and sufficient for most users, and the cheapest way into this model. Storage cannot be added later — there is no microSD slot — so heavier shooters should price the 512GB tier, and the 1TB tier only if the price gap is small. Judge each tier against its own market level, not the range’s low end.
What battery health should I accept?
On a phone under two years old, expect a high reading — anything that looks worn is a warning, not normal age. Samsung publishes no standalone US battery price, so a weak battery is a quoted-after-diagnosis repair: negotiate it into the price in full. Under Samsung Care+, battery repair is included subject to a diagnostic confirming 79% or less capacity.
How do I check for locks and unpaid balances?
Before paying: confirm the phone is factory-reset and removed from the seller’s Samsung and Google accounts, confirm it is fully paid off and carrier-unlocked if advertised as such, and check the IMEI where the marketplace offers it. Hold private sellers to the same standard, in person, before money moves.
What if the screen or back glass has been replaced?
Ask what it was replaced with. A non-original panel is a real downgrade in brightness, colour and durability, and it should cut the price accordingly — and note that a screen replacement also replaces the fingerprint sensor assembly. Samsung’s suggested front-screen-only price is $279, but only when the frame is straight, the battery is not swollen and no other failure is found; back glass has no published Samsung US price.
Can FixUp check a used Galaxy S25 Ultra for me?
Yes — bring the phone to any of our three stores for an assessment of battery health, screen originality, S Pen function, cameras, charging and damage before you commit, or book a repair check online. Any repair work is quoted after assessment; repairs take 1–7 days and carry a 3-month warranty.
Specs, fees and marketplace figures are attributed and dated inline.
Desk review only — we do not claim hands-on use we did not do.
Lynwood · Santa Barbara · Las Vegas, plus nationwide mail-in.
1–7 day repairs, 3-month warranty, quoted after assessment.
Sources & Editorial Notes
- Samsung US Support — Cracked Screen Repair (front-screen-only $279 for Galaxy S25 Ultra; module tier “–”; eligibility conditions; 90-day repair warranty; 5–7 business-day mail-in estimate): samsung.com/us/support/cracked-screen-repair — checked 15 October 2026, $279 re-confirmed 5 November 2026.
- Samsung US Support — Samsung Care+ (claim fees $29 / $29 standard, $0 / $0 with Theft and Loss; battery subject to ≤79% diagnostic; lost/stolen deductible $99–$199 range): samsung.com/us/support/samsung-care-plus — checked 15 October 2026, terms re-confirmed 5 November 2026.
- Samsung product pages and Newsroom launch coverage for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, via the FixUpPhone research pack — materials, display, chip, battery, charging, cameras, S Pen, SIM and release date (7 February 2025) — checked 15 October 2026.
- Sold-listing tracker — Galaxy S25 Ultra recent sales and 30-day average (256GB $509, 512GB $639 / $900, 1TB $780.19 on 4 Nov 2026; average about $633 across 598 sales): techfare.com/phones/Samsung-Galaxy-S25-Ultra — read 5 November 2026.
- Swappa price data via reporting — 256GB average sale price about $661: swappa.com/listings/samsung-galaxy-s25-ultra — 15 October 2026 figure, read 5 November 2026.
- Samsung US — Certified Re-Newed phones (Galaxy S25 Ultra from $969.00): samsung.com/us/smartphones/certified-re-newed-phones — read 5 November 2026.
- FixUpPhone — service terms, stores and mail-in rules: repairs, locations, mail-in repair.
Editorial note: this guide is a desk review. Marketplace figures are snapshots that move; Samsung list prices are headlined as last checked 15 October 2026, with the 5 November 2026 re-check finding no rise. No hands-on testing, ownership experience or customer stories are claimed anywhere in this article.