Hi there everyone! I will be buying a refurbished Iphone, and since my last model is an iphone 6, I am pretty bewildered on what to get from all the options (7, 8, XS/XR).

Some background on my specific uses:

1-My previous phone was an Iphone 6 (which had battery issues and whose 16G of storage was not working out, even without caring about storing photos, videos, or games).

I then tried to an Android phone, but even with the latest Android 9 and a fairly decent model (a Motorola X4 I got on clearance for only $150) I have not liked the experience. Too disjointed and unpolished compared to iOS, for me anyway.

I want to buy a refurbished phone, trying to keep costs down since I'm not a $1000 phone kind of guy.

Appke has refubs of the 7 and 8, but places like "Swappa" also have phones listed as mint condition, from sellers with extremely high ratings, for much less than the cost of an apple refurb.

For example, a mint iphone 7 is $240 there, as opposed to $380 from Apple. However, buying from Apple you know the battery is new on a refurb, and with a visa doubled warranty the phone is protected for 2 years. Trying to decide if that's worth the extra money.

In terms of size I liked the iphone 6, not too big and not too small.

The other thing that's important to me is a good camera, I have a 5-year old that I want to document his growing up when we're out and about, and while I own a nice "real" camera (A Panasonic GX8) I don't have it on me all the time like I do my phone.

Looking at the apple refurb store, they have:

-Iphone 7 for $380 (or as mentioned swappa has mint ones for $240)
This would give me:
-the same screens size I liked about the 6
-More storage (32 gigs, which should be fine for the apps I use)
-Apparently better quality camera than I had on the iphone 6

They also have the 7+ for $480, but I don't think I would like the larger size of that one. I am tempted because it has the 2nd telephoto lenes, and I like taking closer up shots and portraits, which the normal wide angle lenses of phones does not do well with.

Moving up from there:

-Apple has the Iphone 8 plus refurbs for $730 (too high for me), but Swappa has mint Iphone 8's for $420, with some sellers' claiming 100% battery health for their mint units (I guess they replace them?)

I am not a gamer and don't think I would notice the extra CPU power.
Not sure if the camera is significantly better than the 7's camera?
Wireless charging would be nice, especially if ste up somehow for the car, but not crucial.
Iphone 8 has 64G of stroage, even better than 32 since then I have room for things like downloaded movies for flights, memory hog programs like garageband, etc,.

Then the Iphone Xs is only sold new and starts at $1000, too much for me.

So I welcome anyone's thoughts. I guess besides which model to get, I am wrestling with the choice between a mint unit from swappa vs the apple refurbs.

Less warranty with swappa (only 30 days), but the ability to get an Iphone 8 with more storage from swappa, for around the same money as an iphone 7 as an apple refurb.

Thanks!

I really like my iPhone X.
I had a 6+ and I like the size of the X better.
Screen is almost the same size as the 6+, but the overall phone is much smaller, and easier to carry.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

Can you do any sort of deal from your phone carrier? X per month? Maybe a BOGO deal? I bought 2 Xrs, $350 each.

For your wishlist, an Xr seems like a good fit.

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

I have an iphone 7 plus. Might be good for you but I'd consider getting something a bit newer as a way of future proofing. Depends upon how long you want to hang on to your phone.

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another source to check for refurbs is Amazon. they have IP8 for $366. 90 return/refund guarantee. i gifted a friends middle schooler an IP6 from amazon for xmas. something was malfunctioning with the touch screen. amazon sent out a replacement even before they had shipped back the first phone. second phone was the bee's knees. don't know what Swappa's policies are but i'm confident dealing with Amazon with something like this.

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If you want to fix our country, work with us in the states. statesproject.org

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

You might want to read the fine print on your Visa warranty policy as most do not double the warranty on used or refurb units, only new.

Thanks to everyone for the helpful and thorough comments so far.

I do like to keep my phones for a while, so if the iPhone 8 got more future OS updates than we think the 7 will, that would be something to keep in mind.

Does anyone know if the 8's camera is significantly better than the 7? My goal is to take a lot of photos of my 5 year old with the phone so this is an area of concern to me. I assume the XR/XS has a better camera than the 7 or 8, but those are still very expensive even refurbished, compared to the 7 and 8.

I did not know amazon sold refurbs, I will check that out. I definitely would feel more comfortable dealing with amazon for issues vs. a place like swappa.Is there lots of different companies and if so, a certain one that people recommend?

With regards to the iPhone X, I remember holding one at the store and the size felt too big for my hand, just as the 7+ and 8+ did competed to the normal 7 and 8. For me it seems like the SE is too small, the 6 sized phone was just right, and anything bigger was too big (I like to use my phone one handed and wrap my thumb around to press the screen).

I checked with T-Mobile and they don't really offer anything appropriate. A 2-1 deal wouldn't really help since my wife is very happy with her SE (she has small hands) and doesn't want anything bigger. In terms of cost, it's not important to me whether I pay all at once or i installments, I care more about that the phone costs total in the end.

Thanks for the heads up about visa only doubling warranty on new units. If so that makes more of an argument against apple's more expensive refuels, they would only have 9 more months of warranty than somewhere like amazon.

Thanks and keep the feedback coming.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/2019 02:22PM by dan steinberg.

Swappa if your phone company provides insurance for the same monthly price as Apple.
If your phone company doesn’t provide insurance then go with Apple Refurb.
The iPhone 8 Plus provides the best camera of 7/8 options



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/2019 02:27PM by Carm.

So thinking about this more, I think I would get an iPhone 8 refurb, since I now see I could get one within the $400 budget I had in mind, at least if I get it from places like Swappa or Amazon.

From what I can tell, the 8 will give me (compared to the 7):

-wireless charging
-newer processor that will ensure more years of updates
-better camera (but not clear how specifically)
-more storage (64 vs 32)

My provider (T-Mobile) offers insurance for $10/month, that's not something I've ever really used with any phone. After a few months of the monthly charge and whatever deductible they charge, it seems like i wouldn't take too long to have paid a big chunk of what just buying a new one would cost. I'd probably feel differently if I had a $1000 phone to insure.

I looked at Amazon's listings for a 64GB iPhone 8, and they have ones for around $360 but from quite a few different companies. None of them list the battery health percentage, the way some swappa sellers do (for example the mint ones on swappa have ones with 100% and the "good" condition ones have batteries with 93% battery.

So Amazon would be much easier to deal with if I was not happy with the refurb I got, but swappa would allow me to order one that is they at least claim is "mint", with no wear and tear and 100% battery (but 30 day warranty instead of 90). Tough call.

iPhone XR has a one lens camera. Wide only not with Telephoto. It is a good Camera but it is not Apple's best. I just received a $450 credit on my iPhone 7 + with Verizon. They also have the iPhone 6S for free depending on your trade.

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Bill
Flagler Beach, FL 32136

Carpe Vino!

Fermentation may have been a greater discovery than fire.
— David Rains Wallace

Quote
WHiiP
iPhone XR has a one lens camera. Wide Angle only not with Telephoto. It is a good Camera but it is not Apple's best. I just received a $450 credit on my iPhone 7 + with Verizon. They also have the iPhone 6S for free depending on your trade.

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Bill
Flagler Beach, FL 32136

Carpe Vino!

Fermentation may have been a greater discovery than fire.
— David Rains Wallace

long ago i had ATT coverage on my son's phone only because it covered theft which was an issue at his school. other than that, given the monthly and the deductible it was worth it especially since the deductible changed depending upon the age of the policy. you might check if SquareTrade would cover a refurb. i've used them a couple of times and their customer service was very good but i don't think their coverage is as cost compelling as it used to be.

Amazon's renewed guarantee says at least 80% battery and they'll send you a replacement right away if there's a problem. i imagine a single seller on Swappa can't do that. wonder how much a new battery for an IP8 would be...

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If you want to fix our country, work with us in the states. statesproject.org

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

Big, big fan of the refurbed 6S. You can get the 64Gb version for a song now.

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M1 2020 Mac mini (16G 2T) • Ventura 13.x • Dual 25" Acer 1440p LCDs • M1 2020 13" MBAir (256G 8G) •

That's good to know there's a "minimum" on Amazon of 80% battery health.

On swappa, the ones listed as mint claimed 100% health, and the ones listed as "good" listed specific percentages for each listing, like 88%, 93%, etc.

One thing I forgot to ask about earlier, are there different model numbers of the GSM version iPhone 8 that have or lack different frequency bands, and if so, is there a certain one I should get that works best with T-Mobile and their newer towers?

I live in Hawaii on the island of Oahu, and the reception here is good in some places and not good in others. I asked the T-mobile guy at the store about it and they said they built some newer towers to fill in the gaps, but they use a newer band frequency that my iPhone 6, and my wife's SE, do not support (being older models). So I am curious how that may factor into things.

Thanks!

As jdc says, check w/ carriers for deals and BOGO's, Baby Buzz and I each got killer deals after trading in iP6 toward Xr and Xs. $50 net for 128GB Xr, and $200 net for Xs after iP6 trades... though trades were clean and working, w/ both having batteries replaced last year under $29 program, several months before trade ins.
Good luck.
==

Go here:

[support.t-mobile.com]

Choose your device, then Tech Specs to find a list of bands the device supports.

I would go with the best phone your budget can support.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

check out;

[www.refurb.me]


and


[willmyphonework.net]

Here's a useful link:

[support.apple.com]

Use the "tech specs" link(s).

OK, so I think I may have settled on what to do:

-I checked my carrier (T-Mobile's) website, and while they were not having any promotions that applied to my situation, they do sell the Iphone 8 for $600 (new, not refurbished).

-I then called up T-Mobile and asked if they could do anything for me, since I have been a customer with them for 17 years, and I noticed other competing companies were having promotions on iphones like buy one, get one free, etc.

-After checking with their management, they called back and said they would apply a $200 credit to my bill (all at once, not in installments) once they saw I bought the Iphone 8 from them, while logged into my account. The credit is not for a trade-in, it's just a courtesy credit.

So, I went ahead and bought the Iphone 8 from them, and now will have a new, not refurbished Iphone 8 (with visa doubled 2-year warranty) for $400, which is only slightly higher than the price I was finding for refurbs that only had a 3-6 month warranty and an uncertain level of battery health.

Even better, now I can avoid the indecision of who I would have bought the refund from, between places like amazon, swap, and backmarket there were a lot of choices and it was hard to tell who was the "safest" (probably Amazon).

I also saw that T-Mobile also has new-old stock of the Iphone 7, for only $360 (so would have been only $160 after bill credit). That would have been a very big savings, I decided the extra dough was worth it for:

-better camera than 7 (looked online at comparison shots)
-64 gigs of storage instead of 32 (you always find a way to use more storage)
-faster processor so will get updates longer
-wireless charging (to a lesser extent)

I am interested in hearing if people think $400 net cost for a new Iphone 8 is a good deal. I actually like that it still has a proper home button, unlike the newer XR models, and is also a little smaller in both dimensions to fit in the hand easily.


Thanks to everyone for their help and especially for reminding me to check with my carrier. In the end, the combination of T-Mobile still having new stock on the Iphone 8, combined with the bill credit they offered, ended up working out pretty well I feel.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/2019 04:28AM by dan steinberg.

8 isnt a bad phone, and if you arent a power user, its prob more than fine.

There are a lot things the Xr brings to the table -- double the battery (25 hours), better resolution, much, much bigger edge to edge screen (but only slightly larger) and the face recog is actually pretty cool.

But in day to day use, they are nearly identical.

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

Dan, thanks for posting your questions and your follow-ups. I'm in a similar shopping situation, and this has all been very helpful.