Buy a refurbished iPhone at Swappie

Marco Mekenkamp

The Finnish Swappie is one of the emerging parties in refurbished i.e. refurbished iPhones. The company was recently named the fastest growing startup of the moment by the Financial Times. Swappie’s mission is to provide people with a quality, affordable and environmentally friendly way to upgrade their phone. The phones are refurbished directly by Swappie, according to the highest standards and using the latest technologies.

Fair, very good and as new
Swappie offers various devices via its website. They describe the condition of the devices as ‘fair’, ‘very good’ or ‘as new’. Devices with the designation ‘reasonable’ are the cheapest, but Swappie states: “The telephone shows clear signs of use such as deep scratches, dents or other marks. The phone is unlocked, fully tested, and works like new.” At ‘very good’ we read: “The phone has visible signs of use, such as scratches, dents, or other markings. The phone is unlocked, fully tested, and works like new.” You can also find signs of use with ‘as new’: “The phone may show minor signs of use, such as small scratches, but no noticeable markings. The phone is unlocked, fully tested, and works like new.”
In addition, you can opt for various colors at Swappie. You often have to pay a little extra for premium/popular colors. You can also trade in your old iPhone at Swappie. The price you get depends on the type of device and its condition. By answering a simple questionnaire online, you quickly get an indication of what your device will deliver.

Battery
An important part of any mobile phone is of course the condition of the battery. With some devices you can choose ‘standard’ or ‘new’. Swappie says about ‘standard’: “At Swappie, we test and assess the battery of every iPhone that we refurbish. If the battery capacity has dropped below 80%, we will replace the battery. To avoid unnecessary electronic waste, we do not replace batteries with a higher capacity. In 2021, the average battery capacity of iPhones sold by Swappie was 95%.”

Order process
On the website you choose the device of your liking. We opted for an iPhone 12 Pro in the color graphite (we could also opt for the colors gold and ocean blue for the same price; for a copy in silver we would have lost ten euros extra. In terms of memory, we opted for 128 GB. 256 GB and 512 GB would also have been possible, but they have an additional cost of respectively EUR 70 and 160. Concerning the condition, we go for ‘very good’, ‘reasonable’ would be 30 euros cheaper and ‘like new’ would be 70 euros more expensive Only the standard battery is available for the device of our choice, we arrive at a price of 679 euros.
After we have placed the device in the virtual shopping cart, we are given the option to opt for extra protection for the display. For 22.90 euros you buy a protective layer of tempered glass for the chosen device – for other types different prices apply – and this is installed by Swappie. You will then be given the option to order accessories.
The downside is that we have to pay 10.90 euros shipping costs. We do not think that is fair with such an order amount. Here Swappie can learn something from the Coolblues of this world. Swappie also offers insurance: Swappie Care. This covers all damage caused by accidents, including a cracked screen, and covers a defective battery or other defect. A replacement iPhone will be available within 1-3 business days. The first month is free, after that we would pay 6.90 euros per month for our iPhone 12 Pro 128 GB.

Next working day
After the order has been placed, we will receive a confirmation from Swappie by email. And not much later, a new email follows that the order has been processed. This email contains a link to track the shipment. We do, and learn that our iPhone has to make ‘a little world trip’ to be delivered to us. The device will be processed first at a sorting center in Tallinn, Estonia. It then goes to a sorting center in Leipzig in Germany, then to Brussels in Belgium, then to Amsterdam and finally to be delivered the next working day in Haarlem.
The device arrives in a bubble envelope and contains a white Swappie box. The device information is on the bottom. On a positive note, the battery status is also mentioned, which in our case is 97 percent. In the box we find the device and a cable to charge the device via USB. A plug/adapter to charge the device via mains power is missing. Normally that is not a problem, because who does not have enough plugs with a USB connection. It is a pity that the plugs that we have available for Android devices do not appear to work. You really need an Apple power adapter.

Condition of the device
As mentioned, we had opted for the designation ‘very good’. We took a good look at the device, but as far as we’re concerned, this iPhone could have been labeled ‘as new’ – at least in terms of appearance. Perhaps the status of the battery with its 97 percent at Swappie is insufficient to be sold ‘as new’.

Usage
I have been using the device for a few weeks now. And I have to say: it’s excellent. After many years of dealing with Android smartphones, it took some getting used to finding my way around the iPhone. But that period was short. I have even started using Apple Pay, which in my opinion is safer than contactless payment with a debit card. After all, I have secured Apple Pay with Face ID so that only I can make a payment. Anyone can do this with a debit card (for low amounts and when a pin code is not requested.

In the future
In the coming period I will use this iPhone intensively. When there are remarkable things to report, I will update this article with it.

Conclusion
Swappie is a rapidly growing provider of refurbished or refurbished iPhones. The website is clear and well-arranged, so that choosing is easy. Also the attention to the battery and the condition of the received iPhone are pluses, minus are the shipping costs. If you are looking for a refurbished and therefore cheaper iPhone, Swappie is an excellent choice.