Not Sold on the Latest iPhone? Apple Will Now Sell You a Refurb iPhone 15
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After opening sales of refurbished iPhone 15 models in Europe earlier this year, Apple has now brought the older 2023 iPhones to its Certified Refurbished stores in the US and Canada.
This means that you’ll be able to get some nice discounts on an older iPhone. With a base 128 GB iPhone 15 going for as little as $619, it’s an even more compelling option next to Apple’s most affordable iPhone 16e, which sells for only $20 less.
Notably, the refurbished store includes all four iPhone 15 models. While you can still purchase an iPhone 15 or an iPhone 15 Plus brand new for prices starting at $699 and $799, respectively, the refurbished models come in at up to $160 off the regular prices. However, those discounts come with a small catch: Apple’s Certified Refurbished Store lists the discounts as coming off the full non-carrier pricing, which is $30 more than what you’ll pay if you active an iPhone on Boost, T-Mobile, or Verizon at the time of purchase. So, the actual refurbished savings are in the $80–$130 range.
Nevertheless, those are still substantial savings, especially when you consider they bring a refurbished 256 GB iPhone 15 down to the same $699 price as the iPhone 16e in that capacity. If you want to splurge and go for 512 GB on a standard iPhone, you’ll actually pay $30 less for a refurbished iPhone 15 ($869) than you would for the same-sized iPhone 16e ($899).
Of course, you won’t get Apple Intelligence on the base 2023 model. However, it still has quite a few other advantages, including a dual-lens camera system, Dynamic Island, MagSafe charging, and Ultra Wideband support for things like Find My, HomePod handoff, and digital keys.
Apple is also offering refurbs of the now-discontinued iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $759 for the 128 GB version, and while Apple lists this as a $140 discount off the “normal” price of $899, that appears to be a mistake as that model sold for $999 and was discontinued when the iPhone 16 Pro arrived to fill its spot at the same price points. The same applies to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, with the base 256 GB model listed as a $170 discount off a $1,099 regular price.
This means the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max refurbished models sell for $240 to $330 less than the corresponding iPhone 16 Pro models, depending on capacity. Not all colors and capacities are available, but larger models are seeing steeper discounts.
Are Refurbished iPhones a Safe Buy?
While buying a pre-owned iPhone might give you pause, the iPhones that come through Apple’s Certified Refurbished program are as good as new. In some cases, they could even be better, as they’ve been thoroughly tested in a way that doesn’t happen to the millions of iPhones that come off its production lines.
An iPhone purchased from Apple’s Certified Refurbished store has the same warranty and eligibility for AppleCare+ as a new one. Apple also replaces the battery and outer casing, so you’ll get a fully healthy battery, a pristine iPhone, and a brand-new USB-C cable in the box.
There’s even a chance that a refurbished iPhone is almost brand new. Apple doesn’t sell “open box” items, so even an iPhone that’s returned to the Apple Store virtually unused will go through the refurbished process. This means you could end up with an iPhone 15 that was perfectly fine but returned only because someone changed their mind after they saw their credit card bill.
While better deals can be had through other refurbished programs like Amazon Renewed, they typically have fewer guarantees than Apple’s program. For example, they won’t be covered by Apple’s warranty or eligible for AppleCare+ coverage, so you’ll have to rely on Amazon’s Renewed Guarantee or similar programs offered by other refurbished product stores. Amazon and others also often have multiple tiers of refurbished products, and even the most premium ones rarely offer entirely new batteries or guarantees of no cosmetic damage. You’re getting what you’re paying for here, so be sure to read the fine print.
