A refurbished smartphone means that the used device has been checked by a company and refurbished if necessary, after which it is ready for a new owner. iPhones are especially popular in this area. But is that a good idea, buying a refurbished iPhone? We’re putting it to the test.
Provided: ‘refurbished’ (iPhone) is not a protected name. Every online store can say that it sells refurbished devices. Some Marktplaats sellers also refer to their used iPhone as refurbished. That is misleading, because a real refurbished iPhone has been checked on all points by a professional party and comes with a money back guarantee and technical guarantee. For these reasons, we prefer a refurbished iPhone from a (web) store to the blue eyes of a Marktplaats seller.
There are several providers of refurbished iPhones in the Netherlands. A handful of well-known sellers use the independent Quality mark Refurbished that stands for the quality of the provider, the smartphone and the certainty of a two-year warranty.
Swappie
Swappie is not (yet?) affiliated with this quality mark, but uses similar conditions, so including a two-year warranty on every iPhone sold. At the invitation of Swappie, we test a refurbished iPhone 11 to check the quality and to make a comparison with a new iPhone 11.
That two-year warranty is immediately noticeable, because you also get it on a new iPhone. Swappie sells iPhones in all colors and storage configurations through its websites. The choices regarding the condition of the device are interesting: Fair, Very good and As new. In all conditions, the iPhone should work like new, Swappie says.
A model in reasonable condition contains clear signs of use such as dents and deep scratches. If you pay – in the case of the iPhone 11 – two tens more, you will get a device with ‘scratches, dents or other markings’. Another seventy euros more will get you an iPhone that contains ‘minor signs of use such as small scratches, but no noticeable markings’. We chose the latter condition, and indeed: the bright red iPhone is like new except for a barely visible scratch on the screen.
A tip: The original battery is standard in the iPhone, which may have already been charged many times and therefore shows wear. Swappie guarantees that such a battery still has at least eighty percent of the original capacity, but for twenty euros more you have an iPhone with a new battery. We think that’s a smart investment, especially if you want to use the device for years.
Technically tested
A seller of refurbished iPhones can purchase the used devices in various ways. All purchased models are extensively tested before they go on sale, so that the seller stands behind the quality. Hence the two-year warranty. In the case of Swappie, the company says it tests every iPhone on 52 technical points upon arrival.
Remarkable: we cannot find what Swappie tests on the website. Some competitors do call all points by name. Bottom line, it doesn’t matter, because you can assume that all important things have been tested, otherwise you have fourteen days money back and a two-year technical warranty.
The ‘as new’ iPhone 11 that we tested for this article works completely properly and does indeed feel like new. A point of attention: on the website it is reasonably hidden that the smartphone is no longer guaranteed to be water and dustproof. Swappie took the device apart and put it back together again. There is no adapter in the iPhone box, but there is a lightning cable to charge the battery.
Environment
There are two main reasons to choose a refurbished iPhone over a new iPhone. First of all, the price: a revised model is tens to hundreds of euros cheaper. We will come back to this at the end of this article.
The second reason is that a refurbished iPhone is better for the environment. After all, an existing iPhone gets a new life, instead of you buying a brand new smartphone. The more people buy used smartphones, the fewer new ones need to be produced. This saves raw materials and CO2 emissions. Swappie – logically – pays a lot of attention to both advantages of a refurbished device.
Software Support
An important point of attention with a refurbished iPhone is the software support. Apple ships all of its iPhones with iOS software and guarantees five to six years of updates per model. The update period applies from the launch date of the iPhone and not from the moment you buy the smartphone. The iPhone 11 that we tested was launched in September 2019. So he is almost three years old, or halfway through his update policy.
If you are looking for a smartphone that you can use for a few more years, then a model in the iPhone 11 series is an excellent choice. We no longer recommend an older phone like the iPhone 8 or iPhone X – both from 2017 – because software support is likely to end this year or next year. With a newer (and more expensive) model such as an iPhone 12 (from 2020) you can go ahead for years.
Conclusion
The refurbished iPhone 11 from Swappie leaves a good impression because – as promised – it looks like new, works properly and comes with a two-year warranty. The iPhone 11 we tested therefore approaches a new copy, especially if you pay twenty euros more for a new battery.
The main point of attention that we can think of with this refurbished iPhone is the selling price. The sales price of the version we tested was 429 euros, or 449 euros with a new battery. You can find an actual new iPhone 11 (red, 64 GB memory) at well-known (web) stores from 529 euros. If we compare Apples – excuse apples – with apples, we arrive at a price difference of eighty euros.
The question is whether you put that difference in your pocket together with a refurbished iPhone or rather spend a little more on a really new iPhone that is, for example, water and dustproof.
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