Apple Now Sells Refurbished iPhone 16e Starting at $419

[Astuces iOS]

I know several people with 64GB iPhone 11 and 12 who are forced to upgrade because of storage. They would have been fine otherwise running iOS 27.

Basic usage these days takes a lot of space. Simply being in a family group chat where you don’t even participate involves storage of photos and video you didn’t take.

In my opinion, it’s shortsighted to buy refurb 16e when new 17e is $180 more, especially given the imminent price increases. You’re getting more storage, newer chip, MagSafe, and C1X.

Yes because they might need more, but look my grandma has an iPhone SE 3 and she is fine with 64gb, my mom has a 12 mini and she is fine with 64gb and I have a lot of people in my family fine with 64gb, now this phone has 128gb... which is the same as my current iPhone and iPad... Btw my iPad mini 6 has 64gb and it's fine...

Yes the 17e is still a good deal, but this is better than the time when we had the iPhone SE 2 and iPhone SE 3 ! If you just want a phone to talk, this is good... Who cares about the newer chip and c1x... >>>>This is like the MacBook Neo ! <<< Magsafe, in worst cases just buy a third party case with it

 

[Astuces iOS]

Who would get a 16e refurb?

A small business or self employed person who wants a cheap reliable iPhone.

Medium sized businesses who want to outfit their employees with a phone that should last 4-5 years - very good TCO.

Someone who just wants a long lasting iPhone and who doesn't have many apps and who uses iCloud Storage (and who maybe would dabble in Apple Intelligence features) - someone just like me (2025 new 16e purchaser).

Oh and people who have never heard of MagSafe!

Yes it can be pretty good, actually my only magsafe usage is a stand in the car which would be useless if it had CarPlay... See magsafe is not a huge deal for some...

 

[Slix]

A great deal for those that want an unlocked phone directly from Apple at the lowest price possible. I got a 256GB 16e last spring and love it.

 

[Corso99]

It’s too bad Apple does not take trade-ins with refurbished hardware.

a couple years ago I traded in my MacBook Pro to my local Apple Store for a gift card. Then I went online and it used it to buy a refurbished Mac mini. So there is a way to do it.

 

[now i see it]

If anyone might recall—-
Back in 2015, a brand new iPhone 6 Plus was $850. And it was slow the first day.
1 GB Ram. 64 GB SSD.
Refurbished were $600+.

 

[Ctrlos]

Who would get a 16e refurb?

A small business or self employed person who wants a cheap reliable iPhone.

Medium sized businesses who want to outfit their employees with a phone that should last 4-5 years - very good TCO.

Someone who just wants a long lasting iPhone and who doesn't have many apps and who uses iCloud Storage (and who maybe would dabble in Apple Intelligence features) - someone just like me (2025 new 16e purchaser).

Oh and people who have never heard of MagSafe!

A $10 case adds MagSafe. It’s really not worth the extra money for the 17e. Nobody is going to notice any difference in power.

(16e user here on 27b2 and it’s flawless)

 

[Ted_Appleseed]

That's $10 less than the last SE ($429). Except it's 1-year behind unlike the SE that uses the latest chip. Still not too bad, since it's the cheapest iPhone you can buy now from apple.com.

 

[yossi]

This is absolutely PERFECT timing. My son's iPhone 14 is down to 79% battery health and has seen better days. Was looking to score something before prices inevitably go up in September.

he might not like losing the dynamic island

 

[DBZmusicboy01]

This is absolutely PERFECT timing. My son's iPhone 14 is down to 79% battery health and has seen better days. Was looking to score something before prices inevitably go up in September.

But isn’t the 16e essentially the 14? And it even has one less camera 😢 wouldn’t it be better to score a used iPhone 15 pro instead?

 

[coolfactor]

I will never buy another phone without MagSafe. It's my favourite feature! That magnetic `click` is so satisfying!

 

[coolfactor]

My wife has had nothing but trouble with her 17 piece of junk. Maybe she can "down"grade to this one since it's cheaper...

What makes it troublesome? How would the 16e be different?

 

[Matsamoto]

Also Soft Pink.

Soft? I want Hard Pink.

 

[JosephAW]

Hopefully Apple continues to provide a low cost entry iPhone despite price increases on flagship phones. 🙄

 

[bluecoast]

A $10 case adds MagSafe. It’s really not worth the extra money for the 17e. Nobody is going to notice any difference in power.

(16e user here on 27b2 and it’s flawless)

Does 27b2 take your 16e's battery life back to the glory days of iOS 18?

I hope so, as mine fell through the floor with 26.

 

[p96]

The specs are surprisingly similar but for one CPU generation and MagSafe. Even the camera seems to be the same, I wonder when that will get upgraded.

 

[Candlelight]

Wish New Zealand did refurbished iPhones.

 

[Ctrlos]

Does 27b2 take your 16e's battery life back to the glory days of iOS 18?

I hope so, as mine fell through the floor with 26.

It’s an absolute tank. I get about 8 hours of screen time.

 

[bluecoast]

It’s an absolute tank. I get about 8 hours of screen time.

That’s great! Can’t wait. iOS 26 has been the worst release since iOS 11.

 

[underthere]

The refurb store can be a real hidden gem. Same warranty, same AppleCare+ option, and Apple's refurb process is genuinely thorough — I always check it before buying new. But I often end up buying refurbs off of eBay because I can find what I'm looking for... Hasn't bitten me in the a$$ yet.

I like eBay too. A bit risky, but it can be a a source of great deals!

 

[jjudson]

What makes it troublesome? How would the 16e be different?

She's one of the lucky +50% of iPhone 17 users who have crappy cellular connectivity. Those of us in the house who own lower-level models (12 Pro Max and 13) have great connectivity in the same locations. The 17 is a piece of junk.