A Complete Guide To Buying Your First Apple Refurbished iPhone
Are you buying your own Apple refurbished iPhone but need clarification about the nuances? Well, I am here to help you with this.
In this article, I will discuss the benefits, the questions you must ask, and the best marketplaces selling authentic Apple refurbished iPhones. Therefore, stick around and know all there is to know.
About Apple Refurbished iPhone
Apple is currently one of the most profitable electronics companies. The brand has successfully grown from a small start-up to a billion-dollar company. Yet, the chances of you buying a defective phone persist.
Whenever a customer gets a defective phone, they can immediately return it to Apple. Subsequently, Apple has put this phone through an extensive and rigorous refurbishment procedure.
This refurbishment procedure is extensive and has several checklists. As a result, the company calls these phones “Apple Certified Refurbished” products with a specified guarantee from the company. This program ensures that customers get products that feel and work like brand-new products.
Should You Buy An Apple Refurbished iPhone?
One of the biggest concerns that many potential Apple refurbished iPhone customers have is about the reliability of these products.
Refurbished products were phones that were returned to Apple due to technical faults. Afterward, these products go through an extensive list of checks.
Phones that go through the Apple Refurbished iPhone Program usually have issues like aesthetic damages or technical faults.
These issues are then addressed by trained Apple professionals who put these phones through rigorous testing and repairing phases. Therefore, an Apple refurbished iPhone could be the right choice for you.
Furthermore, not all refurbished phones in the Apple Refurbished iPhone Program come with defects. Many users refurbish their phones within the warranty period to upgrade.
Benefits Of Buying Apple Refurbished iPhone
Regardless of what people might claim, refurbished products are pretty good. In fact, they contain several benefits. Apple claims that their refurbed products go through several checklists. As a result, one can easily gravitate towards it.
But before we can proceed, let me clarify the fundamental difference between a used iPhone and an Apple Refurbished iPhone.
Refurbished phones are not pre-owned phones. Pre-owned phones are usually sold in an as-is state. This means that the phone has not been repaired or anything.
Meanwhile, refurbished products are repaired and go through an extensive process of repair. As a result, refurbished products are better than pre-owned products.
Here are some of the primary and most important benefits of owning a refurbished iPhone.
Cost Effective
Buying an iPhone takes work. The product comes at a steep price that is only affordable for some. As a result, purchasing an Apple refurbished iPhone might be the most financially viable option.
Refurbished products come with a lower price tag but contain features similar to those of a brand-new iPhone.
Phones that have gone through the Apple Refurbished iPhone program have to pass through some extensive quality checks before they are listed back on the market.
Therefore, you are buying a ‘brand new’ iPhone that works exactly like a straight, out-of-factory iPhone but at a lower price.
Extensive Checklist
Apple promises that every product that passes through Apple’s refurbishing checklist will come out brand new. This extensive checklist ensures that the refurbished product does not disappoint the customer base.
Some users claim that the refurbishing checklist is more comprehensive than the straight-out-of-factory checklist.
Due to this extensive checklist, users can finally rest easy and not worry about anything. Apart from a few aesthetic defects, your iPhone will appear brand new.
As a result, users paying for a refurbished iPhone are paying for more than just the phone. They are also paying for reliability.
Newer Components
As per the company’s latest policy, every phone that goes through the all-new Apple Refurbished iPhone Program is bound to have newer parts.
These newer components are used to eliminate the chance of failure. This is one of the most significant benefits of using a phone that has gone through the Apple Refurbished iPhone program.
Newer components usually add more life to the device and make it more efficient than before. Even though refurbished products come with more depreciation, you are technically getting a phone with newer components. As a result, you are paying much less for a phone that is practically new.
Added Warranty
Apple understands the concerns of refurbished product users. As a result, the company has taken special care to bring authentic refurbished products with a warranty.
As per the company’s mandate, every Apple refurbished iPhone user can avail of the added AppleCare+ warranty.
This warranty has a tenure of 1 year and three months of free technical support. However, this is an optional insurance that you can decline.
Even if you choose not to opt for the AppleCare+ warranty, you can still opt for the 90-day complimentary technical support that the company offers.
Sustainable Choice
This might sound far-fetched, but sustainability is a huge deal when it comes to phone building and manufacturing.
Around 40% of plastic and metal waste on this planet is technical waste. Therefore, buying a refurbished iPhone is an active step toward this endeavor.
Whenever you are buying a refurbished product like an iPhone, you are making a conscious and sustainable choice for the planet. This might seem like a minor deal, but it definitely adds to the overall sustainability.
Hence, you should go green and choose to refurbish electronic devices like phones, laptops, etc. This might not directly benefit users, but it is a sustainable choice for Mother Nature.
Questions You Need To Ask Before Buying
Buying an Apple refurbished iPhone is a safe bet. These phones go through an extensive process of checks and repairs.
After that, these phones are checked by professionals, and they are put on the market. Therefore, you can rest easy.
However, you cannot afford to be absolutely blind. You need to ask a few specific questions to know what you are buying. In this next section, I will list all the essential questions you need to ask before buying your own refurbished iPhone.
Here are some of the critical questions that you need to ask before buying your own Apple refurbished iPhone.
Is Activation Lock Enabled?
I personally was scared about purchasing a stolen iPhone. As a result, I had to scour the internet in order to find out the markers of a used iPhone. As a user, you need to look out for the lock screen.
As soon as you switch on your refurbished iPhone, you should be greeted with a lock screen. If this happens, then it is probable that your phone is not stolen. However, this is a double-edged sword.
Even if the phone is not stolen, you will not be able to use the iPhone in this state. Therefore, you might have to go back to the seller and activate your phone. Hence, the best option is to switch on the phone in front of the seller in order to know what is what.
Is The Phone Erased?
Some refurbished phones are actually used phones. As a result, your phone might have some retained data. This is a good thing. However, you need to understand that you should not be accessing someone’s private data.
Hence, you must always ensure that you erase all the previous data before you start using your phone. In fact, unless you erase data, you will not be able to take advantage of your phone’s full power.
If your seller has not erased data, go to the settings and tap on “Erase All Content and Settings.” This will erase all the content that was present on the phone. After that, follow the setup to adjust the OS to your needs.
Is There Visible Damage?
There are some significant differences between a refurbished iPhone and a brand-new one. Therefore, do expect to see some aesthetic depreciation.
Consequently, you should permanently remove the phone from the case and look for signs of aesthetic depreciation. This depreciation could be in the form of scratches, cracks, and breaks.
However, it would help if you did not go for a phone that looks like it has been through a war. Minor scratches here and there are fine. But you must never get a product that has some major aesthetic issues like dents on the chassis or a broken screen.
Therefore, expect to see some scratches but nothing too much.
How Is The Battery Health?
Battery should be one of your biggest concerns when buying a refurbished product like an iPhone or a Macbook. As a buyer, you need to take special care and test the battery extensively.
Apple uses Lithium-ion batteries. These batteries degrade over time. Therefore, you can expect some depreciation over time.
As soon as you unlock your Apple refurbished iPhone, go to the settings and check for two critical metrics: battery performance capability and maximum capacity.
Maximum capacity would help you to determine the amount of charge your battery holds. This figure should be at least 90. Anything below that is questionable. The performance capability shows us how efficiently batteries work.
Which Parts Have Been Refurbished?
As a buyer refurbished product buyer, you need to have a clear idea about the changes that were made. This information would enable you to know the refurbishing history of your product.
Just go to settings, and you will be able to see which parts of your iPhone have been replaced. Just go to Settings > General > About, and you will see a page where different components are listed along with their numerical code.
Components that have been replaced usually have a serial number that starts with the letter ‘F’. Therefore, make a list of all the things that the company replaced.
However, there is no way to assess if Apple-registered refurbishers or third-party phone mechanics made these changes. Therefore, you need to factor in this element when deciding on the right Apple refurbished iPhone.
Best Online Marketplace For Apple Refurbished iPhone
Buying an Apple refurbished iPhone is one of the most challenging things that you can do. There are so many sketchy vendors who claim they are selling authorized products.
As a result, you need to be careful and make the right decision. Here is a small list of all the online marketplaces that sell authentic Apple refurbished iPhones that you can buy.
Mobex
Mobex is a one-stop shop for all your refurbished mobile needs. Mobex has been around for a while and is known to provide fantastic service to its customers. The user reviews are representative of the good service.
Every refurbished product in Mobex goes through an extensive 65-step quality assurance test. Therefore, you do not have to worry about a single thing.
Amazon Refurbished
Amazon is one of the largest e-commerce platforms in the country. However, the brand is also a specialist in refurbished electronics.
The platform has one of the most extensive collections of second-hand and refurbished phones that you can buy at an affordable rate. Just keep an eye out for delectable offers and sales to get a reasonable price.
Quikr
Quikr is like an online shopping mall for different types of second-hand and refurbished products. However, the company was overwhelmed with the refurbished phone category to the extent that the brand is looking to upgrade the infrastructure to a different level. Get on Quikr to buy a ‘brand-new’ Apple refurbished iPhone at an attractive price point.
The Closing Thought
In summation, that is all there is to buying your first Apple refurbished iPhone. Buying a refurbished iPhone has some latent risk factors that you need to know about.
However, buying a refurbished iPhone is still better than buying a brand-new iPhone worth 1 Lakh rupees. Keep following our page for more such content.
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