Black Friday, Prime Day, and the holiday shopping events of 2024 are now behind us. Everyone who wanted a new phone probably got one during one of those promo campaigns. And there’s a good chance they’ve traded in their old phone, so let’s see what the refurbished aisle has to offer.
We wanted to focus on iPhones this week because Apple devices rarely go on sale, so they’re rarely featured in these weekly posts. We’ll start with the latest models and go back to the iPhone 13 series (which launched in late 2021).
Surprisingly, refurbished iPhone 16 models are available. Not surprisingly, they cost almost the same as new – that said, some offers, especially for higher storage capacities, make some good savings possible. These are the latest models and all feature Apple Intelligence, camera controls and action buttons. Note that the Pros are larger than the vanilla model and older Pros (6.3”/6.9” vs. 6.1”/6.7”).
Apple still sells older non-Pro iPhones, from the 14-series onwards, so we’ve included a comparison with the prices of newer units where available. If you want an older Pro, you’re out of luck, at least as far as Apple is concerned. By the way, Amazon offers a trade-in deal with up to $220 credit with these refurbished phones if you want to swap.
The iPhone 15 series was the first to use USB-C, which will remain Apple’s connector of choice for many years to come. You will miss the new controls and the 48MP ultra-wide camera compared to the 16-series. Note that the iPhone 15 Pro has a smaller tele camera than the Pro Max (77mm vs. 120mm). The good thing is that the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max also support Apple Intelligence (the vanilla 15 Duo does not).
The iPhone 14 series was the last series to use the Lightning adapter. You probably already have enough Lightning cables in your home – and if not, they’re still widely available. And MagSafe is almost universal, so charging shouldn’t be a problem. The two vanilla iPhone 14 models missed out on the main camera upgrade (the 15-series got a 48MP). However, the Pros have 48MP main cameras.
iPhone 13 series launching in 2021. These have 12MP main cameras, all four, and this was before Apple switched to LTPO. Pro phones still have 120Hz displays, but they’re less flexible in terms of frame rates. The iPhone 13 mini was the last phone of its kind, so if you want a small but capable phone, this is one of the few options left.
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