Being told your refurbished phone's battery might not last is enough to make anyone hesitate. It's the number one concern we hear from customers, and honestly, it makes sense. A phone that dies by lunchtime isn't a phone worth buying, refurbished or otherwise.
The good news is that battery testing on refurbished devices has come a long way. Every phone sold at OzMobiles goes through an 80-point testing process, and battery health is one of the first things checked. If a device doesn't meet the standard, it doesn't get listed. Simple as that.
In this guide, we'll break down how battery health actually works, what the numbers on your screen really mean, and which refurbished phones deliver the longest battery life right now. Whether you're buying your first refurbished phone or upgrading from one you already own, this will give you everything you need to buy with confidence.
Why battery is the biggest concern with refurbished phones
It's the first thing most people ask. "What's the battery like?" And when you're spending money on a refurbished phone, the worry is understandable. Batteries wear down over time. That's just how lithium-ion chemistry works.
Quick clarification if you're new to this: a refurbished phone isn't the same as a second-hand phone. Refurbished means the device has been professionally inspected, tested across dozens of checkpoints, repaired if needed, graded for condition, and backed by a warranty before it goes on sale. It's a very different experience to buying someone's old phone off a marketplace.
Every time you charge and drain a phone, the battery loses a tiny fraction of its total capacity. It's a gradual decline, not a cliff edge:
|
Time |
Typical battery health remaining |
|
Brand new |
100% |
|
After 1 year of average use |
88-92% |
|
After 2 years of average use |
76-84% |
The difference between a random second-hand phone and a properly refurbished one comes down to testing. A phone sold on a marketplace might have 65% battery health and no way of knowing until you've already paid. A refurbished device from a reputable seller has been tested, measured, and verified before it ships. That gap between "used" and "refurbished" is where the peace of mind comes from.
How battery health actually works
When you see "battery health" on a phone, it's telling you how much charge the battery can hold compared to when it was brand new. A phone showing 85% battery health means it can store 85% of its original capacity. The other 15% is gone permanently, lost to normal chemical wear inside the battery.
Most smartphones use lithium-ion batteries, and they all degrade with use. Every charge cycle, the materials inside the battery break down a little. Apple designs iPhone 15 and newer batteries to retain 80% of their capacity after 1,000 full charge cycles, according to Apple's own support documentation. Older iPhones were rated for 500 cycles to reach that same 80% mark.
What's a charge cycle? One cycle equals using 100% of your battery's total capacity, but it doesn't have to happen in one go. If you use 50% today and charge overnight, then use 50% again tomorrow, that counts as one cycle. So 1,000 cycles is roughly the equivalent of charging your phone from flat to full every single night for almost three years. That's a lot of use before the battery even reaches 80%.
Here's the part that trips people up: 80% battery health doesn't mean your phone only lasts 80% of a day. A phone with a large battery at 80% health can still outperform a smaller battery at 100%.
Example: The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a 5,000 mAh battery. At 80% health, that's still 4,000 mAh of usable capacity, which is larger than many brand new mid-range phones ship with.
The percentage matters, but it matters in context. An 80% battery on a flagship phone is a very different experience to 80% on a budget device.
How to check your current battery health
On iPhone:
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Open Settings
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Tap Battery
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Tap Battery Health
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Look for Maximum Capacity, this is your battery health percentage
On Android: The steps vary by manufacturer. Search for "battery health" in your device settings, or check your manufacturer's support page for specific instructions.
How OzMobiles tests every battery
Before any phone gets listed on our site, it goes through an 80-point testing process. Battery health is one of the first checkpoints. Here's how it works:
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Diagnostic scan: We use Phonecheck, an industry-standard diagnostic platform used by refurbished phone sellers and carriers worldwide. The software connects directly to the device and reads the battery's actual health data, not an estimate, not a guess.
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Capacity measurement: Phonecheck measures how much charge the battery can hold compared to its original capacity and flags any cells showing unusual degradation.
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Pass or fail: If a phone's battery falls below 80% health, it doesn't pass. The device either gets a battery replacement or it doesn't get sold. There's no grey area.
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Genuine battery check: The testing also catches non-genuine battery replacements. If someone has swapped in a cheap third-party battery before trading the phone in, Phonecheck picks that up. Only devices with verified, genuine batteries make it through.
Standard condition phones ship with a minimum of 80% battery health. Exceptional condition devices start at 90%.
What 80% battery health actually feels like
Numbers on a screen don't mean much without context. So let's put 80% battery health into real terms.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max ships with a 4,685 mAh battery. At 80% health, that leaves you with roughly 3,748 mAh of usable capacity. For reference, that's still more than the iPhone 14 had when it was brand new (3,279 mAh). You're not getting a weak phone. You're getting a flagship with a slightly smaller fuel tank.
In practice, most people with a phone at 80% battery health still get through a full day of moderate use: messaging, social media, calls, streaming, and the occasional photo. You'll probably need to charge before bed rather than the next morning. That's about it.
At 85% and above, the difference from new is hard to notice at all. If you're not running GPS navigation for hours or gaming non-stop, you likely won't feel it.
Here's the honest take: if you're a heavy user who drains their phone by 3pm even when it's new, then you'll want to look at devices with larger batteries or aim for phones in Exceptional condition with 90%+ health. For everyone else, 80% is genuinely fine for daily use.
5 tips to keep your refurbished phone battery healthy
Once you've got your phone, a few simple habits will keep the battery in good shape for longer.
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Avoid full charge cycles. Charging from 0% to 100% puts more stress on the battery than keeping it between 20% and 80%. Most newer phones have built-in settings to help with this. iPhones have "Optimised Battery Charging" and Samsung devices have "Battery Protection" mode, both of which limit charging to around 80% overnight.
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Keep it cool. Heat is the single biggest enemy of battery health. Avoid leaving your phone in direct sunlight, on car dashboards, or charging under a pillow. If your phone feels hot during charging, take the case off.
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Use the charger that came with it. Or at least a certified one. Cheap third-party chargers can deliver inconsistent power and generate more heat during charging.
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Update your software. Operating system updates often include battery optimisation improvements. Skipping updates can mean your phone is working harder than it needs to.
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Close what you're not using. Background apps, Bluetooth, location services, and Wi-Fi scanning all nibble at your battery throughout the day. Turning off what you don't need adds up.
Best refurbished phones for battery life in 2026
If battery life is your priority, these are the phones worth looking at. Each one is available refurbished at OzMobiles, tested through our 80-point process with verified battery health. Screen-on time estimates below are based on GSMArena's standardised battery testing.
|
Phone |
Battery capacity |
Display |
Estimated active time (GSMArena) |
Best for |
|
5,088 mAh |
6.9" OLED, 120Hz |
The ultimate battery phone for iPhone users |
||
|
4,685 mAh |
6.9" OLED, 120Hz |
Previous gen flagship at a lower refurbished price |
||
|
4,383 mAh |
6.7" OLED, 60Hz |
Best battery-to-value ratio in the iPhone range |
||
|
5,000 mAh |
6.9" AMOLED, 120Hz |
Latest Android flagship with Snapdragon 8 Elite |
||
|
5,000 mAh |
6.8" AMOLED, 120Hz |
Proven Android flagship with great S Pen support |
||
|
5,000 mAh |
6.8" AMOLED, 120Hz |
Flagship specs without the flagship price tag |
||
|
4,700 mAh |
6.3" OLED, 120Hz |
Budget-friendly Pixel with great camera |
||
|
4,870 mAh |
6.3" OLED, 120Hz |
Best camera and clean Android with Tensor G5 |
The first iPhone to break the 5,000 mAh barrier, with the longest battery life GSMArena has ever recorded in a smartphone.
It packs a 5,088 mAh cell in the eSIM model. Apple's A19 Pro chip and the new vapour chamber cooling system make it seriously efficient. GSMArena recorded an active use score of nearly 18 hours, putting it ahead of every other smartphone they've tested. If you want the longest-lasting iPhone available, this is it.
Previous-gen flagship battery life at a lower refurbished price point.
Apple's A18 Pro chip is efficient, and the 4,685 mAh cell still comfortably lasts a full day of heavy use. GSMArena's testing put it ahead of every other iPhone at the time of release. Now that the 17 is out, the 16 Pro Max sits at a lower refurbished price, which makes it a strong pick if you want flagship battery life without paying flagship prices.
The best battery-to-value ratio in the iPhone range, thanks to its power-sipping 60Hz display.
Its 60Hz display sips power compared to 120Hz screens, which means its 4,383 mAh battery punches well above its weight. If you don't need ProMotion or the triple camera, this phone gives you more battery per dollar than anything else on the list.
The longest-lasting Samsung phone ever tested by GSMArena.
It matches the S24 Ultra's 5,000 mAh battery but squeezes more life out of it thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. The display has grown to 6.9 inches, and the phone now supports Qi2 wireless charging. If you're on Android and want the biggest battery in a flagship body, this is the one.
Proven 5,000 mAh Android flagship with well-established refurbished stock and competitive pricing.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and Samsung's adaptive refresh rate help stretch battery life further. It's been out long enough for refurbished stock to be well-established. A solid choice if you want a proven Android flagship.
Same 5,000 mAh battery as the S24 Ultra, but two generations behind means a lower refurbished price.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is efficient, and GSMArena recorded over 13 hours of battery life in their testing. The battery performance barely took a hit compared to the newer model, but the price certainly did.
Previous-gen Pixel with excellent camera and lower refurbished pricing than the Pixel 10 Pro.
It packs a 4,700 mAh battery into a compact body. Battery life comfortably lasts a full day for most people, and you still get Google's excellent camera processing and clean software experience.
Bigger battery than the Pixel 9 Pro, a much cooler-running chip, and 7 years of guaranteed software updates.
The battery bumps to 4,870 mAh, up from the Pixel 9 Pro's 4,700 mAh. The new Tensor G5 chip is built on TSMC's 3nm manufacturing process, which helps with thermals and efficiency. GSMArena's standardised testing gave it an active use score of around 12 hours. The real draw is still Google's camera processing and the clean Android experience.
Buy refurbished phones at OzMobiles
Battery life on a refurbished phone doesn't have to be a gamble. Every device we sell is tested, verified, and guaranteed to meet our battery health standards before it leaves our warehouse.
When you buy from OzMobiles, every device comes with:
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80-Point Quality Testing across functionality, cosmetics, and performance
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Minimum 80% Battery Health guaranteed on every device
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12-Month Warranty covering manufacturing defects and hardware faults, with parts and labour included
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30-Day Returns if you change your mind
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Price Beat Guarantee so you know you're getting the best deal
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Flexible Payment Plans including PayPal Pay in 4, Afterpay and Zip
OzMobiles is 100% Australian-owned and operated. Every phone we sell has been tested right here in Australia by our team, and that includes every battery.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a refurbished phone battery last?
That depends on the phone model and its battery health. A refurbished phone with 80% battery health will last slightly less than a brand new one, but for most people that still means a full day of use. Phones with larger batteries, like the iPhone 17 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, will last longer regardless of whether they're new or refurbished.
Can you replace the battery in a refurbished phone?
Yes. When purchasing a device from OzMobiles, you can select a brand new battery as an optional add-on at checkout. Our certified technicians install it before the phone ships, so it arrives with 100% battery health, ready to go. The new battery comes with a 12-month warranty covering parts and labour.
What does 80% battery health mean?
It means the battery can hold 80% of the charge it could when the phone was brand new. So a phone that originally had a 5,000 mAh battery would have around 4,000 mAh of usable capacity at 80% health. That's still more than many mid-range phones have when they're new.
Is refurbished battery life worse than new?
Slightly, yes. But the gap is smaller than most people expect. At 85%+ health, you're unlikely to notice the difference in daily use. The trade-off is a lower price for a phone that still performs well, backed by testing and a warranty.
How does OzMobiles test battery health?
Every device goes through our 80-point testing process using Phonecheck diagnostic software. The software reads the battery's actual health data directly from the device and verifies it meets our minimum standards before the phone gets listed.
