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India became the largest refurbished smartphone market in 2022, due to China experiencing a 17% decline in refurbished phone sales in the same year, according to the market tracker. Most emerging markets saw limited supply of refurbished devices with consumers reportedly holding on to new smartphones for longer.

Apple is selling refurbished iPhones in India?? Since when? I’m not seeing anything on the Indian website either.
 
I know this article talks about iPhones, but as an example, I was about to buy a MacBook Pro at some point and realized I could boost the graphics card specs for "free" when going refurbished. It also comes with a full Apple warranty.

So, it’s both good for the environment and good for your wallet!
 
Used iPhone 12 mini with a 85% battery health is not the phone you can keep for 3-4 years.

Battery life is not acceptable for 99% out there.
True. My battery is pretty weak, but again, I’m happy making sacrifices to save a few bucks. I’ll happily shell out some money to have my local Apple Store replace it when it reaches 80%
 
Yea... it's always cheaper to buy a refurbished phone, buddy... :)
I would hope it is always cheaper, not just sometimes.
Reburb actually isn't always cheaper.

Apple sells their refurbished iPhone 13 128GB for $619. If you happen to come across a carrier deal such as from Visible where you get up to $200 gift card plus free AirPods Pro 2, an iPhone 13 128GB will be a bit less.

If I remember correctly, the Visible iPhone 13 offer was for $699 with a $150 gift card and free AirPods Pro 2 when you port in your number. Even when factoring in 2 months of service at $25/mo to meet their 60 days of service requirement to unlocked the iPhone, if you decide you don't want to stay with Visible, it's still $20 less than from Apple. And if you don't want them, you can easily sell the AirPods Pro 2 for $150 which brings the iPhone 13 to under $500.

Of course, some people may not want to go through all that. But for those who do, better prices can be had.
 
When you get a replacement device under warranty or when you pay for it under the "full device replacement" service, are you getting a new device or a refurbished one? I wasn't able to get a good answer on that from the Geniuses that I talked to.
 
This. I recently bought an Amazon renewed (technically not refurbished, just cleaned and inspected with a 90 day warranty) iPhone 12 mini for around $300. Minor, and I mean MINOR, scratches and 85% battery life are the only issues with it. Otherwise, I have a phone, that doesn’t require me to take out a second mortgage, for at least 4-5 years. Much better deal than the new iPhone SE, even if it means it will get more updates.
I got a refurbished iPad Pro from amazon renewed in 2020 for £700. The battery was at 100% capacity and it had no marks on it. It had a 1 year warranty. It’s still going strong now over 2.5 years later. Battery health is at 92% so hopefully it will last a few more years.
 
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Nothing wrong with buying refurbished models. Just pay attention to what you're buying and from whom.

I bought my 13 PM from Amazon last fall, one tier below it's Amazon renewed/premier (there was a tier, at least back then.. renewed/premier vs basic)). It cost less but Amazon 'stated' that the products were reviewed in-house and cleaned up so it works. Doesn't appear it replaces the battery automatically as I recall it also stated that the battery would have at least over 80% battery life, which wasn't reassuring.

It didn't have any scratches except for a very minor one to the edge of one of the lenses but it functioned fine and came with a then 96% battery life. That was a few months that Apple had removed the 13 Pro models from its website to sell the 14 Pro models.
It was a very good deal as the prices then went Up one month later.

Apple finally released the refurbed 13 Pro models on its website recently and it cost more than what I paid for, although the Apple pricing allowed its refurbed models to qualify for Applecare, whereas mine didn't qualify. Put it in a clear case and a screen protector on top and just take good care of it.

According to 3uTools, it's only 1 1/2 yrs old. The 13 PM works well, with now a 92% battery life.
No need to buy another iPhone model until ~16/17 model. Just replace the battery when its time and it'll still be good to go.
 
It’s still incredible how well iPhones hold their value. Buying new is expensive, but you’re pretty much guaranteed to make a significant portion of that money back when you sell. You can’t say that with any other brand.
 
When you get a replacement device under warranty or when you pay for it under the "full device replacement" service, are you getting a new device or a refurbished one? I wasn't able to get a good answer on that from the Geniuses that I talked to.
Neither, technically. You're getting a "Service Replacement" phone which is essentially like Apple refurbished (new battery, new exterior, possibly recycled electronics). These don't include a charging cord; any remaining warranty or AppleCare is taken from your original; any carrier restrictions from your original carry over; and it shows the same purchase date as your original phone.
 
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Neither, technically. You're getting a "Service Replacement" phone which is essentially like Apple refurbished (new battery, new exterior, possibly recycled electronics). These don't include a charging cord; any remaining warranty or AppleCare is taken from your original; any carrier restrictions from your original carry over; and it shows the same purchase date as your original phone.
OK, sounds like a refurb'ed unit with added limitations. Good to know.
 
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This. I recently bought an Amazon renewed (technically not refurbished, just cleaned and inspected with a 90 day warranty) iPhone 12 mini for around $300. Minor, and I mean MINOR, scratches and 85% battery life are the only issues with it. Otherwise, I have a phone, that doesn’t require me to take out a second mortgage, for at least 4-5 years. Much better deal than the new iPhone SE, even if it means it will get more updates.
And even if you get that battery replaced by Apple for $89, you’re STILL cheaper than the cost of the current SE. Nice find!!
 
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This article leans heavy on Apple’s refurbished site, but the question is how much of the “50%” number in the headline is from Apple’s refurb store? Apples refurb store is often times (rarely?) the place to find the best deals, although you do get the “security” of buying what is basically a brand new phone if you go that route.
 
Reburb actually isn't always cheaper.

Apple sells their refurbished iPhone 13 128GB for $619. If you happen to come across a carrier deal such as from Visible where you get up to $200 gift card plus free AirPods Pro 2, an iPhone 13 128GB will be a bit less.

If I remember correctly, the Visible iPhone 13 offer was for $699 with a $150 gift card and free AirPods Pro 2 when you port in your number. Even when factoring in 2 months of service at $25/mo to meet their 60 days of service requirement to unlocked the iPhone, if you decide you don't want to stay with Visible, it's still $20 less than from Apple. And if you don't want them, you can easily sell the AirPods Pro 2 for $150 which brings the iPhone 13 to under $500.

Of course, some people may not want to go through all that. But for those who do, better prices can be had.
Yea, I'm not trying to compare different scenarios — buying one from a guy of Canal st. might be even cheaper :)
 
What is the point of separating refurbished phones market from the whole used phones market? There are only two true phone markets, one for brand-new and another for used ones, the so-called refurbished market is just a niche one sandwiched in between.
 
This. I recently bought an Amazon renewed (technically not refurbished, just cleaned and inspected with a 90 day warranty) iPhone 12 mini for around $300. Minor, and I mean MINOR, scratches and 85% battery life are the only issues with it. Otherwise, I have a phone, that doesn’t require me to take out a second mortgage, for at least 4-5 years. Much better deal than the new iPhone SE, even if it means it will get more updates.

I think that 85% battery is gonna be a problem before 4-5 years. Battery is one thing that needs to be new or at least close to it in a used phone.
 
What is the point of separating refurbished phones market from the whole used phones market? There are only two true phone markets, one for brand-new and another for used ones, the so-called refurbished market is just a niche one sandwiched in between.

If they are truly refurbished that’s not true. There is actually a difference between me just handing you this two year old phone vs refurbishing it by replacing the battery and casing.

Granted that seems to be rarer and much less of a price difference, but that is technically what it means.
 
Folks need to checkout Red Pocket. $230 off instantly on all iPhones. Extra $100 off with autopay after 3 months. Can unlock phone after 12 months. Dirt cheap plans comparable with Mint.


This is probably one of the best deals for a new iPhone that don’t require a trade in or long term 24-36 month contract. Doesn’t look like a port in is required as well.
 
What is the point of separating refurbished phones market from the whole used phones market? There are only two true phone markets, one for brand-new and another for used ones, the so-called refurbished market is just a niche one sandwiched in between.
I think the implication is that refurbished phones have at least had some maintenance done on them to make them as close to being a brand new phone as possible. Used phones are just that - you take over in whatever condition they were last in. If you subsequently want to replace the battery, or if the screen conks out 3 months later, that's on you.

It's pretty fascinating to see how Apple has adapted in a market where carriers are moving away from mobile subsidies, and people are holding on to their phones longer, in the face of conventional wisdom that they needed to price their phones more cheaply.

Instead, what Apple has elected to do is take in a steady stream of used phones via their trade-in and upgrade programmes, update them with a new shell and battery (not an issue, since Apple has access to all the parts), clean and inspect them, then resell them on the grey market. In addition to the little added profit, Apple continues to grow their install base, which means more people in the Apple ecosystem to spend on additional Apple hardware, accessories, apps, services, even Apple Pay. These customers may not be as likely to spend freely as Apple’s traditional customers, but every new user is nevertheless a potential source of additional revenue.

The bottom line is that Apple has rather masterfully addressed the inevitable challenge of a slowing smartphone market. It makes the high cost of acquiring a new iPhone more tenable (via trade-ins), allows Apple to capture a good chunk of the residual value of selling an old iPhone (refurbished market), and it helps Apple to continue to build out the iOS installed base (additional users to monetise). That’s a win, win, win, IMO. :)
 
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