samsung - changing phone and bought a dud

joolsbfd

had a samsung note 10 lite (not the mega one, just cost a £200 a few years ago). Dropped it in water couple weeks ago, and was thinking anyway that it may need updating - it was starting to be sluggish. in a panic as i was thiking the note might die, and i was about to go away, i did a very quick google search and bought a samsung a17 for £170 from argos (in store, not onine).

it's rubbish. slow, can't take a photo without a significant lag, really cant deal with fast use. i have had it 3 weeks and read that there's no chance of taking it back, so i'm trying to work out what to do.

a) put up with it for a year or so to feel like i've got my money's worth

b) sell for £100 maybe - i have the receipt, it's brand now, it may be abe to be sold and lose a bit but not all

c) buy a samsung s26 with the new deals mse is sharing - but are they worth it, and is samsung the best phone to get really

d) go back to my old phone, put my head in the sand and see if it will keep going a bit longer i dropped it in water but only a tiny bit and it was absolutely fine. i stressed myself out trying to change phone wihtout needing to do it in such a rush.

help!

Vitor

Have you actually asked Argos, or have you just read their change-of-mind returns policy?

There’s a distinction between returning a phone because you don’t like it and returning one because it’s faulty or not of satisfactory quality. Argos’s own policy says faulty items can be returned for a refund within 30 days, even if used.

finbaar

A Samsung Galaxy A17 is a low end device which won't perform brilliantly but shouldn't be as bad as the OP is experiencing. Possibly try a factory reset to wipe it and try setting it up completely fresh - don't restore any data from anywhere - and see if that helps.

JSmithy45AD

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82140533#Comment_82140533

I've seen nothing but good reviews for the A17 but if the OP is thinking of getting an A26 at £680 to £850 for the lowest versions rather than the £140 for the A17 4G (£150 for the 5G) then they're not exactly being realistic.

joolsbfd

Havent asked argos but i dont think the phone is faulty. I think i rushedbinto it rathsr than be without a phone and am regretting it. I dont need fast amd furious and gold star, im.happy with cheap ..but this lags so much it feels constant frustration.

Neil49

I'm sitting next to an A17 4g and can confirm that it is unbelievably slow. The 5g has a faster processor but we have demoted the 4g to a spare phone role.

Argos won't take back a used phone no matter what. There are plenty of mid range phones which cost less than a new S26. I tend to go for a previous model (try an S25 for instance) to get better value and decent performance. The Galaxy A56 gets good reviews.

Cisco001

Return the phone if you could.

If you decide going for S26. get it by 06/10/2026. that is the end date of cashback.

https://promotions.my-samsung.com/uk/offers/6VJPLJF2FGAJD

Amazon S26 12 + 256 currently on sale for £562.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Customised-Processor-Extended-Warranty/dp/B0G53XBR1Q/ref=sr_1_4?crid=37GA3VDH2N8Z1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7-oBrntucN2aKXskOxpHP8xOyrgpO6bJ6ll12hQJQe4wlUUq9rxvOvpKmgESoyRW1lEVRvRuaHqTf0l6KHRfPpfD1tRrYogRZYKggedN5HAtOC5dmfSwi_jEQ1Q6uDlLgfWD_Mzs3DNRAm9Fn_Uly3lcbOD93dUi6F3BWfcbSkxy5y_HSvaNmzi1cRT_gPp9_2jru3DLeJoNwZrM-eGhDl5VkFe5_3Tfa4yRl6i_PVNeez0pI4D0RluDJyoQ0V5hZuGEEnOiGzTHVedZa6J049SLKAVBo2-zGMzLyPe8lA8.Vlym8DuXeTd8jJvpD8SHmlOW6I6SvNajhbYSuMh1P9k&dib_tag=se&keywords=Samsung+Galaxy+S26+AI+Phone&qid=1789732509&s=electronics&sprefix=samsung+galaxy+s26+ai+phone%2Celectronics%2C252&sr=1-4&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.6ee946b2-9ff1-42e3-b768-9ebdb88a50b8

If you don't want to gamble on cashback, Pixel 10a 128GB is £270 at Giffgaff right now.

https://www.giffgaff.com/mobile-phones/google/google-pixel-10a/new

Select Pay in full ⇒ Sell all plan ⇒ 20GB monthly rolling

joolsbfd

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82140619#Comment_82140619

don't quite know what you mean, but i wasn't expecting an all singing all dancing phone, i was just expecting something similar to any other phone i've bought for £200 .. half decent, functioning, fully reasonable working phone. but seems that was too much to expect. and the s26 will be more like 2-300 over 2 years at the current offers, so i'll try that one.

joolsbfd

thank you. much appreciated. i'll sort out this weekend one way or another.

joolsbfd

thank you. it's helpful to know it's not just me. i don't want a 170 quid spare phone, but it's not useable as a main one - it's way too slow. will see if i can flog it, and review what my options are this weekend. the current offfers on s25/6 are really very good when you factor in data allowances.

thanks again all.