I swapped my $1,299 Galaxy S26 Ultra for the $199 Galaxy A17 for a week — the biggest trade-offs (and surprises)
The author swapped their $1,299 Galaxy S26 Ultra for the $199 Galaxy A17 for a week to evaluate the differences between flagship and budget smartphones. Despite significant hardware limitations, the A17 surprised with features like 5G, a high refresh rate display, and six years of software support. The experience revealed trade-offs in performance and camera quality, but also demonstrated that budget phones can still offer modern essentials.
- ▪The Galaxy A17 costs $199, $1,100 less than the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
- ▪The A17 includes 5G connectivity, a fast display refresh rate, and a microSD card slot.
- ▪Samsung promises six years of software support for the Galaxy A17, which is exceptional for a budget phone.
- ▪The phone features a large screen and modern design despite its low price point.
- ▪The author found the camera quality and overall performance to be noticeably inferior to the flagship model.
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Phones I used the $199 Galaxy A17 for a week to see if I’d regret leaving my $1,299 Galaxy S26 Ultra — and the answer is complicated Features By John Velasco last updated 29 April 2026 A tale of two very different Galaxy phones When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Tom's Guide / John Velasco) Jump to: Biggest Surprises Biggest Trade-Offs Bottom Line Copy link Facebook X Reddit Email Share this article 1 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Tech in general is getting much more expensive, and the best phones prove that.
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