Right now they are likely to be new. Apple diverts a certain amount of new phones off the assembly line in order to have replacements ready to go as necessary.
Do they still change the serial number to indicate it's a refurb?
No. They started obfuscating that several iPhone models (and Macs) back. For the very reason you just stated.
are you sure? i just have a feedback from a user that has received a replaced 16PM with F as starting letter of the serial number
www.macrumors.com
I feel that the serial number, whether new or refurbished, shouldn't matter. You still get a new outer shell, new display, new battery and more stringent testing of the device - extra points for the new battery cycle count of 0. I have purchased iPhones and MacBooks from the Apple Refurbished store and I couldn't even tell they were refurbs, aside from the generic white box. If you buy a used car and it looks and performs the same as a brand new car, does it really matter that you know it is used?
you want to be looking at the Model number, not the serial number. Any device replacement done through Apple Store or through Apple.com will most likely start with N instead of M.
I guess that means my 16 Pro, purchased brand new from an apple store one week ago is a refurb. 🤣
No, they don't. Let's say you go to the Apple Store and buy a brand new iPhone and use it for two days and take it back for a return. Apple can no longer sell that phone as brand new (at least not in the USA, law forbids it), it is destined for sale at the Apple Refurbished store after it passes Apple's rather strict testing. The devices purchased from the Apple Refurbished store carry the same warranty and Apple Care eligibility as brand new devices.
Regardless of refurbished or new, you will deal with the screen lottery issue and may not get a "perfect screen" on the next device. I had a lot of issues with my new iPhone 16 Pro (now resolved) and people told me to return it. Like you I was reluctant to return a phone with a "perfect screen" and held out. You are out of the 14 day return for any reason window and since the issue is possibly software related I would hold out for now.
Then restore it as new. Force a re-install of the OS and don't restore a backup. If the issue persists, it's the device (hardware). If it does not, it's software. Wipe phone, restore from backup, see if issue is present. If so, it's your backup. If not, it was the base OS. Pretty easy, just takes some time.
This.
I hope it works and you are able to keep the phone that you are otherwise happy with.
The parallel with a used car doesn’t work very well: in a car there are a lot of moving mechanical parts that could be stress fatigued over the time. So even if you buy a car that looks and performs the same as a brand new, reliability over the time could be different.
You tried 4 different units, so you are part of the “problem” you are worried about: the 3 previous units you discharged are now in the refurbished basket to be checked and sent to another customer (technically you could receive one of your previously discharged unit 😅).
A logic board can hardly be damaged from a drop. Your point is baseless. A display can be damaged indeed, but in this case the issue is quite visible and the unit wont be refurbished without a new display.
