I bought a refurbished iPhone 11 Pro from Apple for $150 less than the latest iPhone 12 Pro, and it's completely flawless

What does 'refurbished iPhone' mean?

A refurbished iPhone is an iPhone that was once owned by someone else and has been renovated, and repaired if needed, so it can be sold to a new owner, usually for a discounted price.

One of the biggest uncertainties with buying a refurbished product is the quality of the refurbishment or renovation. In Apple's case with its refurbished iPhone store, Apple's refurbishment quality is extremely high. Check out the cosmetic and functional condition of the refurbished iPhone 11 Pro we bought from Apple:

The refurbished iPhone came in a nondescript cardboard package.

Opening the package reveals a white iPhone box strapped in and secure in the shipping package. Unlike buying brand new, the iPhone box is all white and says "Apple Certified Pre-Owned" towards the bottom.

The iPhone 11 Pro is presented in the box identically as if it were new. The front and back are wrapped in plastic that you can easily peel off.

Apple says it replaces the "outer shell" of pre-owned iPhones, which means the back, front, and metal frame are all replaced.

Essentially, everything your hands and fingers touch on this refurbished iPhone is new and blemish free.

The only things that are original are the logic board inside, where the processor and other hardware resides, and the camera module. There are no scratches on the metal frame at all.

Here's the right side of the frame with the power button and no signs of wear. It doesn't look or feel like this iPhone has been previously owned at all.

Rather, it simply feels like you bought an iPhone from Apple. Here's the top edge of the refurbished iPhone.

Here's the left side with the volume buttons.

All the accessories are brand new, including the charger, charging cable, and wired EarPods.

And look at that: you still get Apple stickers if you buy a refurbished iPhone.

It wouldn't be the first time this iPhone has been turned on, as it's pre-owned, but it's ready to be freshly set up out of the box.

After the usual set up, you have yourself a totally fresh and clean iPhone.

The battery is at 100% capacity, which confirms that it's a new battery, as capacity would likely be lower if it had a used battery. Charging with the cable and wireless charging both work as expected.

I can also confirm that all three cameras work perfectly fine. This photo was taken with the normal wide camera.

Should I buy a refurbished iPhone from Apple?

Yep. Refurbished iPhones from Apple come in perfect condition, and you really don't get the sense that the iPhone was once someone else's at any point while using it. Refurbished iPhones from Apple also come with the standard one-year warranty, and there's a 14-day return period.

With that said, we wouldn't outright recommend getting any refurbished iPhone you see in Apple's refurbished store just because it's available at a discounted price. At the time of writing, you can get a refurbished 64GB iPhone XS for $639 , which is a terrible deal, for example. For that money, we'd instead recommend getting the 64GB iPhone 11 for $600 . Not only is it cheaper, the iPhone 11 is a newer phone with a faster processor and better cameras.

The discounts for refurbished iPhones aren't exactly epic. The $150 discount we got for the refurbished iPhone 11 Pro is what we'd expect for a new unit of an older model. But going refurbished is the only way to get last year's iPhone 11 Pro series. Still, it really is in perfect condition, and a discount is a discount. You can make that discount go further by trading in your old phone with Apple .

The big caveat about getting a refurbished iPhone from Apple is that stock is limited, and the best deal, like the iPhone 11, will always run out fast. You'll also see refurbished models with higher storage options, like 256GB instead of 64GB. If you don't need a high storage model, it's not worth getting a refurbished unit that costs more than the base storage model. You have to check frequently or watch out for headlines that tell you when the model you're looking for is back in stock.

Where to buy a refurbished iPhone

Apple's refurbished store is the only place we've tried for refurbished iPhones so far, but we plan on testing out refurbished iPhones from other popular retailers that sell refurbished iPhones, like Backmarket and Amazon .

Apple Refurbished iPhone 11 (256GB) $639.00 from Apple

Originally $749.00 Save 15%

Apple Refurbished iPhone 11 Pro (64GB) $759.00 from Apple

Originally $899.00 Save 16%

Apple Refurbished iPhone 11 Pro (256GB) $849.00 from Apple

Originally $999.00 Save 15%

Via PakApNews