Today is iPhone 18 launch day and Apple is announcing its most expensive iPhone lineup yet ( while iPhone 17 prices continue to drop ). Samsung, in typical fashion, is using the higher priced iPhone 18 as a marketing opportunity to launch a cheaper model of the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

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Samsung Releases Refurbished Galaxy S26 Ultra At Discounted Price

Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra will soon be available through its Certified Re-Newed program, available directly from Samsung.com.

The company hasn’t confirmed pricing for the S26 Ultra Certified Re-Newed yet. But last year in the U.S., Samsung priced the 256GB Galaxy S25 Ultra Certified Re-Newed at $1,109, down from $1,299 new, which is a 15% saving. A similar discount on the S26 Ultra’s $1,299.99 launch price would put it around $1,105.

In the U.K., the 256GB S26 Ultra refurbished would land at approximately £1,019, down from its £1,199 launch price. Samsung hasn’t confirmed U.K. pricing yet, so this is just an estimate. I will update the story once official pricing goes live.

What Is A Renewed Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra?

Samsung Certified Re-Newed is Samsung’s own refurbishment program. The difference between a third-party reseller, or Amazon Renewed, is that Samsung itself sells devices it has inspected, cleaned and reconditioned to its own standards using genuine Samsung parts.

Every device passes over 100 quality tests, has its data wiped completely and comes with a certified new battery. It also comes with the same 2-year warranty as a brand-new Samsung device. That warranty is the key because other refurbished options on the market will offer between 90 days and 12 months.

Broadly, manufacturer refurbs are the best choice because of the quality guarantee and use of genuine parts rather than cheaper aftermarket components that may not work properly, or break.

Samsung’s Cheapest Week For The Galaxy S26 Ultra

The Certified Re-Newed program isn’t the only S26 Ultra deal this week. Amazon has the S26 Ultra at $953 for the Sky Blue model. This is its lowest ever U.S .price, down $347 from launch. But it’s still roughly $100 more than the cheapest Galaxy S25 Ultra price from last Black Friday , so there’s room for it to dip further.

Between the Amazon deal and the incoming Certified Re-Newed program, this is the cheapest week the Galaxy S26 Ultra has ever seen. The fact that it’s also the newly expensive iPhone 18 launch week likely isn’t a coincidence considering Samsung’s long history of limelight stealing marketing. Don’t be surprised if we see the Galaxy Z Fold 8, or Fold 8 Ultra, get their own discount this week as Apple’s iPhone Fold launches at the rumored $2000+ price.