There are more categories of second-hand smartphones on the market than many people may realise. If you need a new phone, your options aren’t limited to buying a brand-new flagship at top dollar or a used device that may not be up to the level of quality you’d expect. In fact, when you buy refurbished and ex-demo phones, your options aren’t all limited.
Better for the environment, better for your pocket, and offering more value for money overall, refurbished phones are a blessing for those looking for a broader choice. Whether you prefer Apple, Samsung, Oppo, Huawei, Google Pixel, or another brand entirely, buying refurbished means you can choose from different line-ups and ranges of phones, old and new. Ex-demo phones are one type of refurbished phone. So are ex-demo phones worth buying? Are the savings significant enough - and the quality level high enough – to make them worthwhile?
Let’s explore the topic in more detail and find the answers to questions like “What is a refurbished device?”, “What is an ex-demo device?”, “Are ex-demo phones worth buying?” and “Where can you buy trustworthy, refurbished mobile phones in Australia?”
What Is A Refurbished Device?
A refurbished phone is a used phone (pre-owned, ex-demo or previously returned) that has been repaired and restored for resale – usually by a manufacturer or third-party retailer.
If the seller is a true professional, they will have put the phone through a detailed and extensive checking and testing process to make sure it’s fully functional, and everything from the touchscreen to the microphone to the battery still works.
The process involves removing the previous owner’s data and pictures as well as any customisations, restoring it to factory settings, and fixing up all the individual parts.
Refurbished devices have unique advantages making their purchase a better option than buying brand new. You can save hundreds of dollars, sometimes close to a grand or more, on refurbished devices. Refurbished devices are a lot better for the environment, with discarded smartphones a major contributor to the increasing problem of e-waste (electronic waste). When you buy refurbished, you receive a warranty, in case you don’t get what you paid for, which is something never guaranteed with a regularly used phone.
It’s easy to buy refurbished mobile phones in Australia - and ex-demo phones are one of the varieties of refurbished smartphones. So what makes them unique? And are ex-demo phones worth buying?
Refurbished Phone Grades
Refurbished phones are sold in grades according to their condition and how “new” they still look. As long as you buy your phone from the right seller, it should still be fully functioning. Apart from a few cracks, dents, or chips, even a smartphone with a lower grading should operate just as well as a brand-new one.
OzMobiles has four main categories we sort our refurbished smartphones into, and one of them is ex-demo phones. Reading about these categories should help you feel better prepared to answer the question, “Are ex-demo phones worth buying?”
Here are the OzMobiles refurbished phone grades:
New
These phones haven’t had previous owners. In fact, they’re so brand new they still come with their manufacturer’s warranties. Some might have been taken out of the box, but only for quality checks. These are the phones to buy if you want the look of a new phone but still want to save money.
Ex-Demo
Ex demo phones also haven’t had previous owners and, like brand new phones, they tend to be in immaculate condition, free from marks and blemishes. Ex-demo phones have been taken out of their packages, usually for display in retail stores, so customers can take a proper look at them before buying. The ex-demo phones we sell at OzMobiles come in conditions very close to new, and any marks present are faint.
Excellent
OzMobiles devices that have been graded ‘Excellent’ have minimal wear and tear, are not visible at arm’s length, and screens are in excellent condition. They still function just as well as new phones do.
Very Good
Devices rated ‘Very Good’ by OzMobiles may have small dents and scratches visible from arm’s length. They’ll still be fully functional and usually sold at very low prices!
You’ve probably gotten the picture that ex-demo phones are a little different from regular refurbished devices. But are ex-demo phones worth buying? Are there more advantages than buying a new smartphone that’s on sale?
Benefits of Buying Ex-Demo
Some reasons ex-demo phones are worth buying are the same reasons that buying used phones can be a sweet deal. Ex-demo phones also have their unique advantages over regular second-hand phones, though. Some of the biggest benefits of buying ex-demo phones include the following:
Massive savings
Along with other refurbished phones, ex-demo phones can provide you with a high standard of quality for hundreds of dollars less than you’d expect to pay for a new phone. Sometimes you can even save a grand or more.
Better for the environment
Manufacturing a new phone requires the digging up of precious materials and the release of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. When used smartphones end up in landfill, it leads to hazardous chemicals leaking into the air and soil, damaging the environment and the health of people who live in the area. Refurbished smartphones (including ex-demo smartphones) help us reuse old smartphones in a more sustainable fashion and help promote an economy based on recycling.
Warranties
As long as you buy through a decent seller, your ex-demo phone will include a warranty. And there are many places to buy refurbished mobile phones in Australia with warranties.
Unlimited choice
When you think of second-hand smartphones, it’s common to imagine having to buy phones that are at least a few years old. But with ex-demo and other refurbished phones, you can find recent model devices in top-notch condition from a variety of brands.
Unlocked phones
Ex-demo and refurbished phones aren’t locked to any particular provider, so you can stick your SIM card in and start using them straight away.
Good as new
Because ex-demo phones have only been taken out of their boxes for display purposes, they tend to work extremely well and are in fresh, unspoilt condition.
Buy Refurbished Ex Demo Phones at OzMobiles
Ex-demo phones are worth buying when you choose the right seller to buy from. The place to buy refurbished mobile phones in Australia is right here on the OzMobiles website.
You can take your pick from our wide range of refurbished phones, including iPhones, Samsung Galaxy smartphones, and other refurbished Android phones.
An Australian-owned and operated company, we test all of our devices at our Melbourne headquarters using our 72-point checking process to make sure they meet high Australian standards. All of our devices are fully functional and sold with 12-month warranties and 30-day money-back guarantees.
If you find a better deal on the same phone elsewhere, we’ll beat that price by $10 (terms and conditions apply). And if you can’t afford to buy the phone you want outright, we offer payment plans through third-party providers such as ZipPay, AfterPay, and PayPal Pay in 4.
Ex-demo phones are worth buying, and OzMobiles is happy to help you find the right refurbished or ex-demo phone for you. Get in touch with OzMobiles for more information!
