The prices of smartphones, especially iPhones and other flagships, have gone through the roof in recent times. The affordability of smartphones is almost lost if you want the best features and performance. But, with refurbished phones, you can still get an iPhone without paying the hefty luxury and performance fee associated with their latest devices.
Refurbished Phones Are Similar to New Ones
It’s not surprising to distrust refurbished phones. After all, they have been used by someone else before. Their usage, ownership time, and patterns are bound to contribute to the remaining lifetime and the performance of the device. It’s not very tough to understand why you may face a dilemma over refurbished phones.
However, when the sellers pick the used phones up from the users, they send them through several physical and software checks before determining the price and repairing requirements. If a phone has a broken screen, it’s changed. If a phone has a low battery performance, it’s changed. If the phone has a camera issue that can’t be mitigated, it’s mentioned. Whatever the issue is, before being enlisted as a refurbished product, the sellers offer the best possible care.
In many cases, the original box and accessories aren’t provided to the seller by the previous owner. In these cases, the seller has to provide it for you to present you with the best possible experience. Due to the additional costs, the prices may vary between the same devices with the same status condition. Consider choosing the original box and accessories over a cheaper price.
The phones, which have long-term software support, are the best choices for buying refurbished. As they haven’t yet been decommissioned, the latest updates can give you the latest software experience without hogging your money.
Refurbished Phones Are Cheaper
The primary consideration in buying refurbished phones is their pricing. Whether you are someone who doesn’t want to spend a thousand dollars on a phone, or someone who doesn’t have the budget to buy a new one, refurbished phones are great solutions. They give you the latest experiences without making a hole in your pocket.
You can get a refurbished iPhone for $300, whereas a new iPhone can cost you over $1200-$2000 dollars. Moreover, as the newer models of smartphones, especially iPhones, are durable enough to withstand any wear and tear, they are great devices to buy refurbished.
But why are refurbished phones cheaper if they are like new?
The refurbished phones aren’t new. They might have some hairline scratches over the panels or back of the body, or maybe on the screen. Depending on the condition mentioned on the certification by uptradeit, the price can drop even more. And as mentioned before, the replaced parts may not always be the same as the original ones.
But that doesn’t mean that refurbished phones are bad. Although new flagship phones are inevitably faster and technologically better, you won’t miss them as you can’t miss something that you never had. Until a new critical technology like 5G arrives, refurbished phones are better deals.
Refurbished Phones Come With a Warranty
Most buyers back away from refurbished phones due to the lifetime of the devices. As mobile devices are made out of electronic components that tend to lose durability and efficiency over time, the primary concern around refurbished devices is the remaining lifetime. You may feel that you won’t be able to extract much value out of it due to the reduced lifespan, but it’s only partially true.
Most sellers and dealers go through hundreds of checks and replacements before certifying a device as refurbished. Only when they gain confidence in the product, it’s made available to you. Thus, they also provide a limited warranty to the buyers to increase their trust in the devices.
A 6-month or 9-month warranty may be offered to you in addition to the initial 30 or 60-day replacement policy. During the first 30-day span, you can try out the device and return it to the seller with legit concerns to get a refund or order another one. The warranty period of 6 months is limited to the accessories, software, and hardware issues. Any physical damage isn’t covered under the warranty.
In rare cases, some components like the screen or the charging ports may present some issues for you, but the parts can be fixed or replaced by certified technicians without spending a lofty amount of money on new phones.
You Get to Use New Flagships Every Year
Older flagships are better than newer cheap devices. The features or some hardware may be better in newer devices, but in general, a two-year-old flagship can perform better than a $400 new phone. Flagships, being expensive, are made to last. They house top-of-the-line hardware to ensure that the users get the best experience out of it. Thus, they typically perform better in the long term and last longer.
With flagships, you can enjoy a better camera, better software, and an overall better feature set. As you won’t be going for the latest and greatest devices, you’ll be able to enjoy the features that went out of the equation a few years back without sacrificing the enjoyment of having a new device.
Some features that were deemed useless in the latest smartphones, like the headphone jack and fingerprint sensor, can also be enjoyed with refurbished phones. Though the options are getting limited as more and more phones are released without those features.
Flagship users also enjoy extensive customer and software support. You are much more safe and secure with an older flagship than with a newer cheap mobile.
Moreover, as the prices of the refurbished flagship phones match the prices of a cheaper device, you can replace it every one or two years to get a new phone.
Components Can be Replaced Cost-Effectively
A major complaint about refurbished phones is the defective parts. In some cases, where the sellers fail to analyze the quality of components accurately, you may stumble upon issues with the board or the battery. Although in most cases, the warranty covers the components, batteries are a different game. Most sellers don’t provide a warranty on batteries.
However, batteries can be replaced by certified technicians or even the manufacturers at a mere $40-$50. This cost doesn’t even start to diminish the bargain you get with refurbished phones.
The Bottom Line
Refurbished phones are well worth it. In addition to them being close to new ones, these phones offer flagship features and hardware that the cheaper phones can’t offer. They also come equipped with a warranty. So, if you stumble upon an issue, it can be replaced or refunded. In rare unfortunate cases, where you need to replace the batteries, it can be done through the manufacturer without needing to pay a hefty price.
