Every year, Apple releases a new set of iPhones featuring the latest technological developments and enhanced features: better cameras, long battery lives, and more powerful Bionic chips. These new flash models are exciting for Apple fans but come with high prices to match the increased demand. Older iPhones continue to provide amazing levels of quality and features, but after a while, Apple discontinues them, and they become harder to find. If a new iPhone from the store is outside of your price range, but you don’t want to take your chances on a second-hand model, there’s another solution: buying an iPhone refurbished instead.
Apple’s iPhones consistently sell well. Along with Samsung, Apple dominates smartphone sales worldwide. First launched in 2007, the company is now up to its sixteenth generation of iPhones and the traits that make the brand popular have remained. People love Apple products for the features, functionality, style and the way they work so smoothly in sync with the iOS system. Apple products offer secure protection, which also lasts a long time, which is an excellent reason to buy refurbished Apple products.
When you buy an iPhone refurbished, you have plenty of choices about what phone you get. You can pick up an iPhone 14, iPhone 13, iPhone 12 or iPhone 11 refurbished and get all the benefits of an iPhone while saving yourself hundreds of dollars.
So what are refurbished iPhones, the pros and cons, and where can you get one? This article explores the benefits and drawbacks of skipping the shopping centre in favour of buying a refurbished iPhone.
What Are Refurbished iPhones?
A refurbished phone is a second-hand phone that a reputable company has repaired before putting up for re-sale. While refurbished phones have certainly had previous owners, they’re different from regular phones you might find on online marketplaces or in second-hand stores. They’re sold with warranties, the previous owner’s data has been erased, and the phone has been extensively tested and repaired if necessary.
Refurbished phones aren’t put up for sale unless they meet a certain standard of quality. Some are as good as new. Some are basically the same as store-bought phones except for cosmetic imperfections like chips or dents. Some, known as ex-demo phones, have only been taken out of their boxes to be displayed in stores.
When you buy an iPhone refurbished, you get all the benefits of an iPhone but save a lot of money – sometimes up to a grand or more. But are refurbished Apple products the answer for everyone? Let’s look at some of the reasons why a refurbished iPhone may be one of the best purchase decisions you’ll ever make and some reasons you might be happier with a store-bought one.
Pros of Refurbished iPhones
It’s cheaper
There’s no doubt about it: buying an iPhone refurbished is a lot cheaper than buying one brand new. The savings aren’t small, either. You can save several hundred dollars and sometimes a grand or more, especially if there’s a sale. The older model iPhone you buy, the more likely you are to score huge savings, but you can get recent iPhones from the last couple of years at amazingly low prices too.
There’s a lot of variety
Apple discontinues old phones sooner or later, and when you go shopping for a new iPhone, you pretty much have to take your pick from the latest models. On the other hand, buying an iPhone refurbished gives you a wider range to choose from. From a company like OzMobiles, you can easily choose an older phone (yet one that still meets a high-quality standard), such as an iPhone 11 refurbished.
They’re sold by reputable companies
When you buy a second-hand iPhone from a stranger, there’s no way to know what kind of state it’s really in. If you buy online, there’s always the chance that you may not get what you paid for. Refurbished phones, however, need to meet certain standards. The reputation of the seller depends on it.
They’re covered under warranty
If anything goes wrong with your new purchase - or if you don’t get what you paid for – you’re covered. A refurbished phone seller will provide you with a warranty for your purchase and replace or refund it if there’s a problem.
They’re better for the environment
Discarded smartphones are among the biggest contributors to the issue of e-waste (electronic waste). Every year in Australia alone, around 700,000 tonnes of e-waste, including smartphones, washing machines and computers, end up in a landfill. E-waste is growing at three times the speed of general waste and is responsible for 70% of the hazardous chemicals in landfills, like mercury, lead and arsenic. Buying a refurbished phone saves it from ending up in a landfill and also means one less phone needs to be produced, cutting down your carbon emissions.
Cons of Refurbished iPhones
Not all refurbished phones are created equal. When you buy a refurbished phone, potential drawbacks can include:
Cosmetic flaws (chips, scratches etc.)
Refurbished phones are usually sold in grades based on how weathered they look, from those that look as good as new to those with a more weathered exterior. The older and cheaper the refurbished phone is, the more wear and tear it may have. This wear and tear, however, is usually just cosmetic and doesn’t affect how the phone works.
They may not have the latest technology
When you buy a refurbished phone; you may have to settle for technology that’s a few years old rather than the most recent innovations.
Your phone may no longer receive updates
Apple supports iOS updates for iPhones for about seven years. An older refurbished Apple phone may be due to run out of updates soon or may have already stopped receiving them. A lack of up-to-date security can leave your phone more vulnerable to bugs and hackers.
Refurbished phones sometimes have shorter warranties
You may be covered for refunds and repairs for a shorter timeframe than you would be with a brand-new phone.
Where to Buy Refurbished iPhones
The best place to find refurbished Apple iPhones and avoid most of the cons of refurbished iPhones is right here on the OzMobiles website.
Whether you want to score a recent model like the iPhone 14 or save big on an older phone such as iPhone 11 refurbished, OzMobiles offers you plenty of choices.
An Australian-owned and operated company, we test all of our devices at our Melbourne headquarters with a 72-point check to ensure they're in line with Australian standards. This includes ensuring your battery remains up to at least 80% health.
All of our devices are fully functional and sold with a full 12-month warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee. We offer free and fast shipping, and if you order before 12:30 pm on a weekday, we ship it out on the same day.
Found a better deal elsewhere? We’ll beat that price by $10 (terms and conditions apply).
To find out more about refurbished iPhones and for help finding the right one for you, get in touch with OzMobiles!
