Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 128GB Unlocked Android Smartphone - Mystic Black (Renewed)

I don't use face recognition so I can't say how well it works, but for the first week at any rate, the on-screen fingerprint reader has been amazingly easy to use. I don't use my phone super heavy and it's not uncommon to have 70% or more battery when I put it on the wireless charger at night, and it's *significantly* less picky about placement on the wireless charger than the old phone (note 8). The car has wireless charging and it's also much better charging there; the old one would often not be in the right place and not get any electrons, where this never fails to juice up.I got the Note 20 because it's the last Note (currently) that has an SD card slot; I'm absolutely against some company gouging me hundreds of dollars extra for a 256GB phone when a 512GB SD card is under 50 bucks. The drawback to that is this phone came with pretty much nothing at all but a charging cable, which isn't really adding any value. It took me some time to find a way to get the SD card slot open, without their custom tool, because on this phone at least the hole is waaayyyy too small for a paper clip. I finally unwound the spring from an ink pen, which was small enough and stiff enough to release it. Seriously leave out the cable that probably everyone in the world has by now and put that tool in! It's needed for the SIM even without an SD card.Speaking of SIM, moving my line to this phone was trivially simple. The phone was apparently on T-Mobile previouisly and I'm on Verizon, and everything worked flawlessly right from the phone. Put the SIM in, turned it on, and followed the instructions. Done.I got a Note because, well, I've been a Note fanboy since the 4, when my old Droid with the hardware keyboard gave up the ghost, because of the S-Pen. It's not something I use every day, but when I do use it, there is literally no alternative that works like the S-Pen. If Samsung ever stops putting that on their phone I'll probably move on to something more affordable.This is my first ever refurb, and this one at least is exactly what one would hope; it physically indistinguishable from a brand new phone. Even close observation in the light reveals no scratches or blemishes, it hasn't crashed or exhibited any wonky behaviour (knocks on head), and it's significantly snappier than the old one. That's not just because it has more resources, I think it's because the UI has been tweaked. For example when scrolling a long list this phone's "inertia", how long it scrolls untouched after a flick up or down, is much higher than the old phone, so it's considerably faster to browse by scrolling. I'm sure other improvements have been made as well, and together they translate into a much more responsive feel.The OS itself is similar to the Note 8, really, but it has even more bloat and unremovable cruft in it. For exampe there's "AR" functionality now, but even though I have nothing AR, and if I do it's highly unlikely I'll use this phone in conjunction with it. There's an "AR Zone" that can't be disabled, can't be removed, can't be told not to nag me with notifications, can't be managed in the slightest. Seriously Samsung, get off your high horse. You don't know what I want my phone to do; fine if you want to have that enabled by default, why do I care? But can't disable it or remove all the massively huge list of permissions? Want to rub some salt in there for me? It's also considerably more in-your-face nagging about things; like I haven't figured out how to get it to stop nagging me to save passwords for web sites, as if the last fifteen times I'd change my mind. Stuff like that isn't helpful, it's obtuse and rude.Migration was a PitA, but that's normal, so I mention it anecdotally. Samsung's "Smart Switch" does make it less than heinously atrocious, but "Everything" isn't (everything), and it still took me days to get all my appointments and other things loaded in. Once I find my browser bookmarks and get them in I'll finally be done. Least favorite part of getting a new phone is setting the @*&#% up. I can back up and restore a computer with trivial ease but no phone maker yet is smart enough to do that with a phone. Pathetic.I considered only four stars because of the missing SD card tool. Not sure how many folks would be able to figure out how to open it with the hole being about 2/3 the diameter of a paper clip, which is by the way what Verizon recommends using if one can't find the tool. I have no straight pins so I don't know if they work, but if I did I'd still want to file the point off to be sure I didn't damage anything.But overall a VERY happy camper. If you like Android it's likely you'll be satisfied with this phone, and if you've never had an S-pen you'll probably be hooked. lol

So far, I am super impressed with this phone. It arrived quickly and is fully operational. Before this, I was using a Motorola. 5G stylus and I absolutely hated it. You could not multi-task whatsoever on that phone. But with this one you can easily watch videos and text your friends at the same time. Lots of storage space and great if you love playing games on your phone! Camera quality is phenomenal and even comes with a built in filter if preferred. Super easy to set up. Just plug in to your existing phone and transfer your files. And you're good to! I will never not own a samsung phone again!

So I just got this today, and so far, I'm not impressed. Can't tell you how the phone will work yet, as there are absolutely no directions or paperwork included. As for "excellent" condition, yeah, not so much. I'djudge it as fair to good condition. There is a great deal of obvious pitting and scratching all around the edges, although not on the screen itself. It is definitely visible from more than 12 inches away. I'll be putting it in a case to protect it, so hopefully that won't matter if it's just cosmetic. I just worry that this phone went through the wringer with it's previous owner. It definitely looks like it's been dropped a few times...I have to say, compared to my current phone, a Galaxy Note 9, also purchased as a refurb over 4 years ago, this one is a disappointment. That one was pristine when I received it. Still looks great due to it being in a case, but the battery is starting to go, doesn't hold a charge very long, and gets really hot, really fast. Also the speaker is going and since I use it for work and do a lot on speakerphone, that's critical for me.I too chose this Galaxy Note 20 as it's the last in the line that has the SD slot.Now I just have to go searching for a user manual online so I can figure out how to transfer all my data and memory/sim/etc. Once I actually, hopefully, get to use it, I'll come back and update my review.Update: I've had this phone for a couple of months now, and to say I'm underwhelmed is putting it mildly. Cosmetically, it definitely was NOT in perfect condition. Very obviously used hard by previous owner. But I can deal with that. What I can't deal with is the poor volume control, the fact that it cuts in and out, and locks up. I find I have to restart it far to often to get it to work. Not what you want in a phone. I use my phone a lot for work and not being able to rely on clear sound is a deal breaker. And it's not like I'm walking around and the signal is fading in and out. I live in an urban area, and talk to others in same area, and half the time I can't hear them or they can't hear me, or the sound cuts in an out. So very annoying. It's going back. I'd better get a full refund or I'm going to be even more ticked. This one was a rip-off in my opinion. Completely opposite experience from my first refurb phone.

This phone is absolutely gorgeous I was afraid to touch it haha 😄 I couldn't wipe it off enough before putting it inside the case and I almost feel like the case I got isn't good enough to protect it. It works perfectly it accepted my other Sim card easily even had prompts on what I needed to do! I'm still trying to figure out the little pen that is in it and there's a lot to learn about this phone! There wasn't a scratch on it I feel like I'm holding a top of the line phone when I am using it. The black glass on the back reminds me of a stiletto heel. It responds super fast the camera is so good! I had a regular Galaxy Note 20 for the past 6 years and it finally had enough of me and I refused to get anything else but decided to give this a try because it was unlocked and I am super pleased I made a great decision! I'll upload a video when someone comes over cause the phone can do so much but it can't record how beautiful itself is!