Should You Buy a Super Cheap Refurbished iPhone From Amazon?

[MacRumors]

Amazon maintains lists of its best selling products, and right now, the best-selling smartphone that's available from Amazon is an Amazon "Renewed" iPhone 8, which is priced starting at $178.

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That's super cheap for an iPhone, and cheaper than Apple's own refurbished price for the same device, so in our latest YouTube video, we picked up one of these Amazon Renewed iPhones to see if it's worth the savings.

Amazon's "Renewed" devices are all pre-owned and are not Apple certified, but Amazon says they've been professionally "inspected, tested, and cleaned" by Amazon-qualified suppliers. Note that the iPhones come from various third-party suppliers and are not necessarily provided direct by Amazon.

Amazon has two product grades: Renewed and Renewed Premium. Renewed is the cheapest option and starts at $170 for an iPhone 8 with 64GB storage, while Renewed Premium is a bit more expensive. It's worth noting that prices on Renewed and Renewed Premium devices do fluctuate, and sometimes the Premium versions go out of stock. Apple doesn't offer a new iPhone 8 anymore, but for comparison's sake, charges $339 for a Refurbished version.

Amazon says that its Renewed devices have no "visible cosmetic imperfections" when held at an arm's length and a battery capacity that exceeds 80 percent relative to a new device, while Renewed Premium versions are "certified to work and look like new," so we chose the Premium option to get as close as possible to new iPhone 8.

The iPhone 8 that we received from Amazon looks and feels like a new device, but it did ship with a non-factory charger and Lightning cable. There were a few hairline scratches on the screen that weren't super noticeable, but will likely annoy perfectionists.

After charging, the iPhone 8 worked as expected and had a 90 percent battery capacity. Over the course of a few days of usage, we ran into an issue with the speaker. At loud volumes, it sounds off with a noticeable crackling, which was not a problem with an original launch day iPhone 8 that we had on hand. The speaker issue did not impact call quality, so the phone was functional even with this problem.

If you're looking for an iPhone on the cheap, Amazon's Renewed devices are worth checking out, but don't expect total perfection. We ran into some minor problems, and if you check out the Amazon reviews, other users have also had more significant issues with the used and refurbished iPhones that they've purchased from Amazon.

Amazon offers a 90-day return policy for Renewed devices, while "Premium" versions come with a one-year customer satisfaction guarantee with an option to return the product, so if something is wrong with a device, you can send it back and get a refund.

Article Link: Should You Buy a Super Cheap Refurbished iPhone From Amazon?

 

[alpi123]

Why is Apple's own refurb store so limited in terms of choice and stock?

 

[ianKent]

Try trademore, it’s owned by Verizon, although not advertised as such. “Used” phones there are sometimes brand new, just had to be sold because Apple “discontinued” the model, but the stock remained. Just make sure to select “excellent” condition. Worked (new phone) for some folks I know.

 

[Mousse]

I've brought a "renewed" iPhone 7 Plus before. The phone itself is adequate, but the charger and cable were sub-substandard. It took 12 hours charge my phone. Hook it up to standard quality cable and it charged in 3 hours. Same issue with renewed android phones. Phone was okay, the cable less than useless. They need to either provide a quality cable/charger or knock 50 cents off the price and ship the phones without cable or charger.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

While their return period is very generous, I’ve had bad experiences with the devices from renewed. One had a cracked camera lens cover and the other had deep scratches on the screen (it came with a screen protector to hide the scratches). If you buy from Amazon renewed it’s really up to you to check for every potential issue.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

Why is Apple's own refurb store so limited in terms of choice and stock?

Probably because of the limited amount of returns/repairs from just Apple Stores and also Apple’s higher standard. Judging by the quality of Apple refurbs I’ve had in the past, I’d say a lot of units gets rejected before they reach the refurb store.

 

[posguy99]

So the difference between these two levels of "renewed" would be that the Renewed Premium they wipe with a damp rag vs a dry one before chucking it in a box?

 

[Lwii2boo]

Why is Apple's own refurb store so limited in terms of choice and stock?

Because Apple prefers to increase its profit.
What is best for them selling refurbished iPhone 8 under $200 or selling iPhone 12 at $800 ?

Refurbished for them means lowering their profit in short. And they prefer increasing their margins rather than satisfying those seeking cost effective options

 

[John Connor]

Anything other than a perfect screen would be a complete non-starter for me.

 

[kiranmk2]

Renewed Premium versions are "certified to work and look like new,"

There were a few hairline scratches on the screen that weren't super noticeable, but will likely annoy perfectionists.

So it doesn't look like new then...

 

[WiseAJ]

So sounds like no, you shouldn't buy one.

 

[inigou]

A used battery and scratched display is not an option for me. Even being cheap.

 

[HarryWild]

I purchased an iPhone 11 Pro 512GB White when I dropped my Space Gray and it was totalled. Got it for $250 less the Apple Refurbished! Battery was 93%. Excellent condition. 90 day warranty/return but I did not want shell out more then need be. I purchased my 11 Pro new at around $1400.00.

 

[ghanwani]

For anyone with any appreciable level of OCD, this is a definite pass. Others may be OK with rolling the dice and sending it back to Amazon if it doesn't work.

 

[Cosmosent]

Absolutely NOT !

Apple's highest-value iPhone is the one-year-old-Design 6.1" iPhone 11 !

The $649 USD version with 128 GB of NAND Flash Storage is probably the sweet spot.

That's with 3.7 GB of DRAM !

 

[Le0M]

Nothing should be bought on Am**on. Stop advertising it. It's one of the cancer of this society.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I would never buy anything refurbished from Amazon, especially Apple products.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Nothing should be bought on Am**on. Stop advertising it. It's one of the cancer of this society.

That is an absurd statement, in my opinion. There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying needed products on Amazon, especially during a pandemic.

 

[aesc80]

Let's be honest, y'all - this ain't for us. This is for those people who have parents / siblings / hermits who don't care about certain features and just want a working device for FaceTime, iMessage, or whatever sort of communication (including phone calling). I'd personally buy this for my dad who would rock a Samsung Galaxy S < 7. As long as it works, that's all that matters to him.

Us though - we're the class of uppity kids driving year release BMWs and Mercs, laughing at the kid driving the used B6 Audi A4. I know that makes us sound terrible, but look at the iPhone 12 in your hands. Yeah - you wouldn't have it any other way! 😜 🤣 (jokes, of course!)

 

[BGPL]

So in other words, it's in the condition a new phone would be in after a two weeks use. I would buy everything I own from Amazon if I could... their customer service is second to none. Apple is extremely nit picky about returns, warranty and repairs.

 

[llumiaho]

In Europe, the best refurbished iPhones can be bought from swappie.com. i can highly recommend their phones!

 

[HarryWild]

A used battery and scratched display is not an option for me. Even being cheap.

Go to Apple store get it replaced for $69.00.

 

[splam]

I'd rather deal with Amazon than take my chances with Ebay or Craigslist. Refurbs are great for those older relatives that don't need the latest tech and would rather have touchID in this current mask-covered climate.

 

[jonjames505]

iPhones are one of those products I definitely purchase new. Every time.

 

[retta283]

I'd rather deal with Amazon than take my chances with Ebay or Craigslist. Refurbs are great for those older relatives that don't need the latest tech and would rather have touchID in this current mask-covered climate.

This is an important reality that many fail to realize or just plain ignore. Whether you agree with Amazon or not, there are times that for the sake of expedience for yourself and others, Amazon is the safe (or in some cases only) route.

Great profile picture by the way