Refurbished Phone Purchase Experiences

[insanelupus]

My old phone needs replaced. I'm am Android user, Apple will not be a consideration. I will likely be going with a Samsung product.

If you have purchased refurbished phones in the past, what was your experience? Do you have a preferred vendor?

New prices are crazy. I value a very good camera, battery life, large storage capacity, and would prefer a smaller screen (but I'm willing to sacrifice that trait for the other three).

Durability is an issue as I keep them a long time, but plan to use an Otterbox and 9H screen protector.

Refurbished is looking to be the most appealing and most economical for what I want.

Thoughts and experiences? Thanks!

 

[Pgohil]

We use about eight Android phones in our business. And I will not buy new ones. I buy refurbished ones usually off of eBay and we've not had a problem yet. Their functional, few years old and the savings are well worth it. Good luck!!

 

[engineer78]

The only refurb phone I've had an issue with was a Galaxy Fold 5 a while back. After 6 months, wifi stopped working when display opened, seemed to be a known issue with the connection between the 2 halves of the phone. Warranty repaired without issue but it was annoying to need to purchase another phone to use for the few days it was at the repair center. For any phone that has a good track record of reliability, purchase from a reputable store and it should be fine.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

I've been buying refurbished/renewed phones from Amazon for the past 10+ years. They've all been Android except for one Apple digression (iPhone 12 Mini) that reminded me how much I hate iOS. I usually choose a model that's 2-3 generations old at a price around 1/3 of a comparable new model. I'm currently using a Samsung Galaxy S23. Most Amazon sellers offer a 90 day free return window so you get some time to test drive the phone before you decide whether or not to keep it. I've used the return option once, on a refurbished Google Pixel ordered for my wife that developed a discolored vertical stripe across the display. Otherwise my experience with refurbished phones has been very positive.