Are refurbished phones good & should you buy one?

Having the latest phone is much like having a new car parked in your drive. You might not really need it, but it’s nice if you can afford it. Right now, the high cost of living means spare money is – for many people – a luxury they no longer have.

And that could mean a brand new phone is off the cards.

If you’re in need of an upgrade but don’t feel like risking hundreds on a second-hand ebay purchase, then you’ll be pleased to know that refurbished phones are a fantastic alternative.

Not only do refurbished phones cost a lot less than a new phone, they are also the safe option because they come with a warranty.

But what do retailers such as giffgaff, Amazon, MusicMagpie and Back Market mean by refurbished or renewed? Are there any cons of buying a refurbished smartphone? Here, we’ll answer all your questions and tell you the best places to shop for a refurbished phone.

Pro: Refurbished phones save you money

The most compelling reason for buying a refurbished phone is that it will save you money. Take a look at our roundup of the best refurbished phones to see the latest deals.

And the places to search for a phone include Back Market, MusicMagpie, Decluttr, SmartFoneStore, 4Gadgets, and of course Amazon and ebay, all of which offer a year’s warranty.

Pro: Refurbished devices come with warranties

The inclusion of a warranty is a big deal, which is why we keep mentioning it. It’s a safety net you don’t get when buying a second-hand phone from an individual. Sometimes you also get extras, such as insurance if you buy a refurbished phone from ur.co.uk.

Pro: Refurbished devices are good for the environment

It might not be as important to you as the two points above, but climate change is already beginning to have worrying impacts on various parts of the world. One of the reasons for this is the use of energy and resources required in tech manufacturing and distribution.

Extending the life of an already existing product is a step in the right direction, so buying a refurbished phone rather than a new one is good for the environment. One refurbished iPhone 13 purchase won’t save the planet, but if enough people move to refurbished devices and send the message to manufacturers that they’re not going to upgrade their phone every year, it will certainly help.

Con – Older refurbished devices might not get software updates

One thing you might not think about when buying a phone one or two years old is how long it’ll get software updates. Of those, security updates are probably the most important.

It’s a depressing truth that each year many perfectly usable phones become obsolete because the manufacturer has stopped issuing security updates. These are the software patches that protect you from any vulnerabilities that could be used by hackers. Once the security updates stop, your device is then potentially unsafe, so you should stop using it.

There have been improvements in the industry over the past few years, with Samsung now promising support for up to five years for many devices and Apple often going even further, making refurbished iPhones a tempting choice in particular.

Before you buy any older device, be sure to search on Google for details of when the security updates are scheduled to end.

Don’t be confused by Android updates though. These are the operating system itself, and your phone can carry on working perfectly without the latest version, even if you won’t have the latest features..

Con – Battery life might be shorter on some devices

While some sellers of refurbished phones will install new batteries, that’s not always the case. Be sure to check the listings to see if it mentions this, as devices that have been used for a couple of year will already have lost some battery capacity. This isn’t a fault, just the chemical nature of battery cells, which naturally degrade over time. In many cases you can have these replaced by professionals, but that will be an additional cost that you’ll need to factor into the overall price of the phone.

Should I buy a refurbished phone?

As you can see, refurbished phones really are a very good option if you want premium phones but don’t want to stretch to the kind of prices they usually command. So long as you use a reputable seller, there are very few drawbacks these days, just remember to check the battery and more importantly the promised duration of security updates for the device.

To help you see what’s available, here’s our guide on where to buy a refurbished phone as well as where to buy a refurbished tablet. You should also check out our roundup of the best refurbished phone deals to see if you grab an even better bargain.

You can read more about how older refurbished phones may be vulnerable to hacking.

What’s the difference between a used and refurbished phone?

When you buy a used phone from an individual on eBay, Gumtree or somewhere else, you’re essentially gambling on the condition of the device and whether it’s fully working or not.

You won’t get a warranty with it, because even if it’s technically still under warranty, that usually applies only to the purchaser, not if they sell the phone on. There may also be some wear and tear – scuffs and scratches – and problems might develop after a few weeks or months. In that case, you’ll be on your own as there’s little to no comeback on a private sale like this.

This is mitigated by the fact that second-hand devices are usually cheaper than refurbished ones, so that becomes part of your calculation.

Refurbished phones, on the other hand, could be essentially brand new or very lightly used. They might have been returned to the retailer under the 14-day (or 30-day) returns period, or they could have been traded in after a year or more of use.

Most of the refurbished phones on sale are simply cleaned and graded according to their condition. That’s what MusicMagpie, Back Market, ebay, Amazon and others do. They usually use Fair, Good, Excellent and Pristine to describe the condition, but you should always read the description to know what to expect if you buy one in “Good condition” as it might have “noticeable wear and tear”.

Despite what you might assume, no refurbishment is carried out. Batteries aren’t replaced, for example, and the phone is merely checked thoroughly, any user data wiped and then it’ll be put in the retailer’s own box (usually brown cardboard) with a charging cable and a SIM tray eject pin. You may or may not get a charger, and even if you do, it might not be the original manufacturer’s one.

Bear in mind that when you see an Amazon Renewed, ebay Refurbished or a phone from Back Market, you’re almost certainly buying from a marketplace seller and not directly from ebay, Amazon or Back Market. You still get the warranty, but you’ll probably deal with the seller if there’s an issue, not Amazon, ebay or Back Market.

Only a couple of resellers, such as Aznu in the UK, actually refurbish phones and fit new parts to restore them to like-new condition. In some cases, Back Market sellers do replace batteries and other parts, but although there’s now an “Add new battery” option on Back Market, it’s usually ‘sold out’.

If a phone has had a new battery installed you’ll get the same battery life as a new phone. Just bear in mind that any phone that’s been opened up for a new battery or screen, might no longer be water resistant, so it’s worth checking and not assume that it is.

The only exceptions to this are when the manufacturer itself (such as Apple and Samsung) has carried out the refurbishment, but you’ll find those phones aren’t much cheaper than buying new.

All other refurbished phones are usually a bit more expensive than second-hand ones, but the benefit is that they have a warranty (usually 12 months) so you have some recourse if anything goes wrong with the phone.

For more details on the differences, read our refurbished vs used tech guide.