What are refurbished phones, and are they worth it?
Refurbished phones are handsets that have been returned, tested, repaired where needed and then sold again, usually with a warranty and at a lower price than a brand new model. For most of us in 2026, they’re well worth a look. The quality gap with new has shrunk. The saving hasn’t.
It helps to be clear what the word actually means, because it gets thrown around a lot. A proper refurbisher powers the phone up, runs it through a checklist, swaps out anything worn like a tired battery or a scuffed screen, wipes the old owner’s data and grades the condition before it goes back on sale. That testing, and the warranty behind it, is the bit a private sale on a marketplace never gives you.
Why refurbished phones make more sense in 2026
The biggest change is how long a phone now stays supported. Google promises seven years of software and security updates for the Pixel 8 and newer, Samsung does the same from the Galaxy S24 onward, and Apple iPhones usually get a similar long run of iOS updates.
That quietly changes the maths on buying second hand. A flagship that’s two or three years old, bought refurbished today, can keep getting security updates well into the early 2030s. You’re no longer trading away years of safe use just to save money, which used to be the real catch.
Bills haven’t helped either. Plenty of networks raised prices again in April 2026, with EE and O2 adding around £2.50 a month to a lot of plans according to the providers and Ofcom. So more households are asking a fair question: do we really need to pay full price for the newest handset?
How much can you save with a refurbished phone?
Often a fair bit, though it depends on the model, the grade and where you buy. Refurbished retailers and comparison guides put the typical saving at roughly 40 to 60 per cent less than the same model bought new, and older flagships tend to give the biggest drop of all. A few real examples, checked July 2026:
| Model | Refurbished from | New price | Rough saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 15 | ~£329 | £699 | Around 53% |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 | ~£190 | Flagship performance at a fraction of its launch price | |
| Samsung Galaxy S22 | ~£149 | The budget route into a former flagship | |
Prices move week to week and depend on grade and storage, so treat these as a snapshot rather than a promise. The reason the gap is so big is simple. A phone that launched at a premium price falls quickly once a newer model lands, even though it still does everything most people need it to. So you get a powerful, well supported handset for a good deal less than the latest release, depending on how recent a model you go for.
It’s kinder to the planet, too. Estimates suggest making one new phone creates around 55 to 85 kg of carbon, most of it before the thing is even switched on, so reusing one avoids a big chunk of that. Little wonder the share of UK shoppers choosing refurbished or second hand has been climbing for years.
How do refurbished phone grades work?
Grades describe how the phone looks, not whether it works, because a refurbished phone of any grade should be fully functional. Most sellers run a scale from something like Excellent or Grade A, which looks close to new, down to Good or Grade C, which works fine but carries visible marks.
Here’s the snag. There’s no industry wide grading standard, so one seller’s Grade A isn’t always another’s. Read each seller’s own description rather than assuming, and check what they say about the battery, since good refurbishers either guarantee a minimum level, often around 80 per cent, or fit a new one.
What to check before you buy
- The grade, and what that seller’s grade actually means in plain words.
- Battery health, or whether the battery has been replaced.
- The length of the warranty and how returns work.
- That the phone is unlocked, so it works on any network.
- Whether a charger and cable are included, as many are sold without.
Where can you buy a refurbished phone safely?
Stick to sellers that test every phone, give a clear written warranty and let you send it back if you’re not happy. Trusted options in the UK include Apple’s own refurbished store, giffgaff, Back Market, Music Magpie, Amazon Renewed and CeX, and a lot of networks now sell refurbished handsets directly as well.
The warranty is one of the clearest signs of a serious seller. Twelve months is the common standard, matching a new phone, and some go up to 24 months on selected models. The law backs you up here too. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a refurbished phone has to be as described and fit to use, and if it develops a fault in the first six months it’s on the seller to prove the fault wasn’t there when you bought it. You can read more about your consumer rights at gov.uk.
Should you pair a refurbished phone with a SIM only deal?
For most people, yes. It’s usually the cheapest way to run a phone. You buy the handset outright, refurbished, then drop in a SIM only deal for your calls, texts and data, and that’s it.
It’s worth seeing why that beats a normal phone contract. On a contract you pay for the handset and the airtime bundled into one monthly bill, often for two or three years, and that bundle is the part that keeps getting hit by the annual price rises. Buy the phone once and a SIM only deal stays cheap and flexible, with many running on a 30 day basis so you can move whenever you like. Our guide on choosing SIM only or a phone contract talks through the trade off in more detail, and if you travel it’s worth knowing how to avoid roaming charges before you go.
If your refurbished phone supports it, you can skip the plastic SIM altogether. Here’s what eSIMs are and how they work in the UK, which can make switching networks quicker still.
Would rather spread the cost of the handset instead? You can also compare mobile phone deals to see how a contract stacks up against buying refurbished.
Frequently asked questions about refurbished phones
- Are refurbished phones reliable?
- Yes, when you buy from a proper refurbisher. Each phone is tested and faulty parts are replaced before it’s resold, and it comes with a warranty. That’s the key difference from a private used sale.
- Do refurbished phones come with a warranty?
- Almost always. Twelve months is the common standard and some sellers offer up to 24 months on selected models. Always check the length and what it covers before you buy.
- Is refurbished the same as used or second hand?
- Not quite. Used or second hand usually means sold as is by a previous owner. Refurbished means a seller has tested, cleaned and repaired the phone and stands behind it with a warranty.
- Will a refurbished phone still get software updates?
- Usually for years. Recent Pixel and Galaxy models come with seven years of updates from launch, and iPhones get a long run of iOS support, so a fairly recent refurbished phone stays current well into the future.
- Can I use a refurbished phone on any network?
- If it’s sold unlocked, yes. Most refurbished phones are unlocked, so you can pop in a SIM only deal from any provider. It’s worth confirming this in the listing before you buy.
