Why I’m Buying A Refurbished iPhone 11 – Not The iPhone 13
Where I live, you cannot get 5G. I also want to save some money. But I do want a new iPhone. This is why a
The iPhone 13 will be great. But like the iPhone 6s before it, I think it will be a pretty mediocre update. It’ll still be brilliant. But it won’t be earth-shattering – just minor tweaks and updates here and there.
The main difference between the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 12 will be battery life.
Apple has apparently doubled-down on battery life on its new iPhone lineup, adding in bigger batteries that’ll bring the phone back in line with the type of performance we got with the iPhone 11.
And while I am certainly interested in the iPhone 13, and I wouldn’t say no to a free one, I’ve pretty much made my mind up about the phone I am going to get next: it’s the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Why Buy A Refurbished iPhone 11?
The iPhone 11 Pro Max is incredibly powerful, it looks great (especially in Midnight Green), and it has a brilliant camera and excellent battery life. That’s basically all I need from a phone.
I also know, when I buy the iPhone 11 Pro Max, that it will last me for several years or more, get consistent iOS updates, and, generally speaking, not cause me any headaches. This is just how iPhones work.
Case in point: I have an OG iPhone SE that still works just fine. The only problem I have with it is that it is too small and the battery life sucks. Other than that, it performs great and is as snappy as ever.
Why Not Get The iPhone 12 Pro Max?
As soon as the iPhone 13 range drops, Apple will discount the entire iPhone 12 range, including the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro. The iPhone 12 Mini is already heavily discounted – it’s now $499.99.
But as I said in the beginning: I cannot get 5G where I live. I live in the countryside and I don’t expect 5G to be arriving here anytime soon. For this reason, I’m stuck with LTE – although it’s HSPA+ most of the time.
I have a 5G phone now, several actually, and none of them have ever had so much of a sniff of 5G. This could change in 2022, but I am not hopeful – not with COVID delaying everything.
I also really like iPhones. I like that they last for years at a time, I like the software. I also love my Apple Watch. But I do not like paying top dollar for a new iPhone, so a refurbished iPhone makes a lot of sense – they’re cheaper and they look and function just like new.
Are Refurbished iPhone 11 Models Even Available?
You can now pick up all of Apple’s iPhone 11 range refurbished. In fact, if you want the iPhone 11 Pro Max, as I do, it is your only option – Apple discontinued the iPhone 11 Pro Max when the iPhone 12 launched.
And once the iPhone 13 lands later this year, the prices will plummet once again because the iPhone 11 range will go from being one cycle old, to two, so I’d expect a pretty meaty drop in their value – perhaps by as much as 10-15%.
You can already get some pretty great deals on refurbished iPhones 11 models, particularly the iPhone 11. If you want the iPhone 11 Pro Max, you’ll pay just over $600 for the phone right now.
After the release of the iPhone 13, this price could – and likely will – come down to around $600, possibly less if you go with a carrier-locked model or one with lower storage. Either way, that’s about half the price of a new iPhone 12 Pro Max or the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
This also applies to older iPad models as well, so if you’re after a cheaper way of buying an iPad, going refurbished is the best way of doing this – it is way better than buying “used” because refurbished means the product has been vetted and tested before being resold.
This Isn’t My First Refurbished iPhone …
Back in 2018, I bought my first iPhone, an iPhone XS Max. I paid $450 for it and used it for almost two solid years. I then switched back to Android when the Pixel 5 came out.
This was my first experience with refurbished iPhones. I was extremely wary beforehand. But after I’d unboxed the phone and switched it on my worries were quickly displaced – the phone was in great condition and worked perfectly.
I did a blog post about my experience with my refurbished iPhone XS Max which details everything from unboxing it, to using it, and the packaging it comes in – spoiler: you do not get an official Apple box.
Not that this is a deal-breaker, Apple doesn’t give you anything in the box anymore. No earbuds, not even a charging cable. At least with a
Things To Keep In Mind…
If you do decide to go the refurbished route with your next iPhone, there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind. The first and most important is that refurbished phones come in different conditions.
The better the condition, the higher the price. If you want an immaculate-looking iPhone, it’ll cost more than one with a few cosmetic scuffs and scratches.
Similarly, if you want to save even more cash, go with a
When choosing a model, the newer it is the more expensive it will be. A refurbished iPhone 8 Plus will ALWAYS be cheaper than an iPhone XS Max or iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro Max.
This means you can, if you don’t mind running older hardware, pick up an iPhone for less than $300. You will have to go with the iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus. But even with one of these phones, you’ll still get the same level of support as you would with an iPhone XS or iPhone 11.
Similarly, the iPhone XR is now dirt cheap. It is a modern-looking iPhone with FACE ID, although its camera is starting to show its age.
Once you know this, you’re then in a better place to pull the trigger on a specific model. Me? I want a good camera, FACE ID, and an OLED display. I am willing to pay for these things. And that means either the iPhone 11 Pro or iPhone 11 Pro Max.
And if you’re looking at the iPhone 11 Pro, you might as well spend a little extra and get the iPhone 11 Pro Max. It has the best camera and the best battery life. And for less than $650 as of right now, I think that phone now represents excellent value for money.
