Apple products are premium products that come with the best that Apple can offer. This places them a tier above what most people can afford. And if you are someone who can’t afford brand new Apple products, don’t be let down, because you can get ‘Like New’ devices directly from Apple.
Check out our “Are Apple Refurbished Products Good” guide for all the details.
I have bought multiple Apple products that are refurbished by them since they cost cheaper than new ones. While I was skeptical at first, since they are not new products, Apple proved me wrong. Refurbished products require more attention as they are amazing. So, Are Apple Refurbished Products Good? find out!
After having reviewed Apple’s official documents pertaining to their refurbished products and then having contacted our sources; my team and I found that:
Apple Refurbished Products are rather good for the right person. For example, if you really want a brand new Apple device, then this isn’t your cup of tea. In fact, you might as well get a brand new one for the price. However, for those that don’t have the money but need an Apple device, it’s perfect as it’s not only cheap but it also comes with a warranty.
Related: Where to Buy a Refurbished MacBook?
Are Apple Refurbished Products Good
Table of Contents
This article covers everything about Apple refurbished products. By the end of this article, you will know if Apple refurbished products are good and if you should consider getting them to save a few bucks off.
What is a refurbished product?
Are you someone who returns their devices after they encounter some faults? Then your products end up being refurbished, that is repaired, and serviced by the company to working condition. Apple does this too, Apple takes all your returned devices like iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks, and fixes defects if any.
So, Apple Refurbished products are essentially pre-owned Apple devices that were returned to Apple either during the warranty period, unwanted products, products that were returned, or with their Apple Trade-in program. Of course, not all Apple Products are refurbished. The majority of the defective products usually head to their recycling centers.
Of course, it should also be known that the Apple Products that are refurbished would not have had a major defect like motherboard damage. At the most, it would have an issue with the screen like dead pixels or at the most an issue with the SSD.
These devices are then brought up to a ‘Like New’ condition and Apple sells them for a lower price. Refurbished devices are also devices that were part of the Apple Trade-in program. So, they are basically older devices that are fixed/repaired and made to function as a new device and sold again.
While many companies offer refurbished Apple devices, this article will focus on Apple’s own refurbished store. And a small tip, Apple has the best-refurbished service out there and you will soon know why.
Additionally, it’s important to know that all of Apple’s refurbished products are sold on their official website and never in the store or through an E-commerce outlet. In case, you do see it, it would be a reseller. Of course, Refurbished Apple Products are also sold by third parties. So, Are Apple Refurbished Products Good? find out.
Refurbished Products from Apple
Apple’s online catalog of refurbished products includes a wide range of devices. You will find Macs, iPads, iPhones, Apple TVs, and even accessories like Apple Watch. Apple refurbished products include custom devices from Apple’s build-to-order service. Apple sells current devices and older devices with different configurations at a discounted price on its online refurbished store.
Macs:
- MacBook Pro
- MacBook Air
- iMac
- iMac Pro
- Mac mini
- Mac Pro
iPhones:
- iPhone XS and XS Max
- iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
- iPhone X
iPads:
- iPad
- iPad Pro
- iPad mini
- iPad Air
Apple Watch and Other Products:
- Apple Watch Series 3,4 and 5
- iPod touch
- HomePod
- Apple TV
Apple Refurbished Process and Testing
If you look at Apple’s website for information on its refurbished products, Apple explains the procedure that a device goes through during the refurbishing process. Apple also indicates that all of its refurbished devices go through the same testing procedures as any new retail device to make sure customers get good products.
This procedure is what makes Apple refurbished products stand out from other refurbished products. For anyone wondering, here’s the refurbishing process:
- Initial testing of each product to make sure everything is working fine. This includes tests on displays, speakers, and more.
- The defective parts of each device, if found any are replaced with functional parts. For example, a broken display or charging port will be replaced with a working one.
- All products that are getting refurbished are cleaned and inspected from the inside by Apple employees.
- iPhones, iPads, and iPods have their batteries replaced with new ones along with new bodies to ensure they all look cosmetically as good as new.
- Then, the device is updated to the latest version of the application software for the device.
- Then, all refurbished devices are packaged with their appropriate cables, manuals, and accessories in new plain white boxes.
- Refurbished products are assigned new parts and serial numbers.
- Then, for one last time, all refurbished products go through another round of quality assurance inspection before being given the green signal to be sold to the public.
This thorough process of inspection and quality assurance is what makes Apple refurbished products better than products refurbished by other companies like Amazon, Best Buy, Mac of All Trades, and more.
Quality of a refurbished product
While Apple claims all these tests, repairs, and more, the end-user doesn’t know what they are getting so we bought and checked refurbished devices to see if Apple’s claims are true.
Packaging
One of the most distinguishable features of a refurbished device from Apple is the packaging. Refurbished devices come in their own custom plain white boxes that have “Apple Certified Refurbished” written on them.
This gives you a guarantee that the refurbished product inside lives up to the name of Apple’s brand. On the contrary, regular retail products come with retail packaging featuring fancy images of the products.
Inside the box of an Apple refurbished product, you will find the necessary cables, accessories, and manuals that you receive with a new Apple product.
Design
All refurbished products from Apple are made to look as good as possible, iOS devices come with new outer shells to look as good as new. All Apple-certified refurbished products are cleaned thoroughly to look brand spanking new.
Performance
Refurbished products from Apple are expected to perform like new. This is a guarantee given by Apple itself. Apple also replaces the battery for iOS devices like iPhones, and iPads so that buyers can get a good battery like that of new devices. All defective parts are also replaced, like display, speakers, storage, etc., and are made sure they perform like new devices. MacBook batteries are also replaced but only if they retain 80% of their charge.
User Data and software
All refurbished device products have their data erased, and software reset. Then applicable products are updated to the latest software version, iPhones and iPads to the latest iOS versions and Mac devices are updated to the latest macOS version. This ensures that refurbished products perform like new Apple products.
Warranty and Apple Care
The warranty and support for refurbished products from Apple are what make them worth buying over other similar services. While other services offer warranties, they are often limited to a few months. Apple offers the same warranty and support that you will get for a brand-new product.
- All refurbished products get one year of warranty and 90 days of phone support, this is in line with new retail devices from Apple. So, if something goes wrong within the first 365 days of purchase of a refurbished device, Apple will fix it for free, just like new devices.
- Refurbished devices can be serviced at any Apple Store, through the mail, or through an Apple-authorized Service provider.
- Apple also offers AppleCare+ for all refurbished devices, this extends the warranty period for them. You can also purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan for Macs, giving you support for 3 years regardless of the year of Mac release.
- Apple will also replace and fix issues, this includes the replacement of batteries that can’t retain at least 80% of the charge under AppleCare. AppleCare for refurbished devices also covers two accidental damage per year.
- Apple Care+ protection plan for iPhones and iPads extends warranty and support on them for up to 2 years. It covers accidental damage to iPhones and iPads two times a year with a service fee.
- These include water damage, broken displays, and replacement of faulty batteries at just the service fee without charging for the parts themselves.
The warranty and support offered for Apple Refurbished products are one of the reasons why these products are so popular as they offer tremendous value. They have the support that new devices are offered making them a steal since they cost much lower.
Availability & Price
The availability of refurbished devices depends on a few factors. These include product life; older products are generally readily available in the Apple refurbished store. This is because very few people return their new iPhones or Macs.
And since refurbished devices can vary in configuration, they might not be as cheap as the base models if they have higher configurations. And Apple refurbished products are only available for sale from its online store, so you can buy them at an Apple store.
Pricing of Apple Refurbished products is a lot lower than if you buy them new, this makes them a very good deal. iPads and Macs can have discounts from anywhere between 15 to 25 percent. iPhones have discounts ranging from 14 to 22 percent.
These prices are generally higher compared to refurbished products from Amazon, Best Buy, etc. But Apple offers a much better product at a decent price with excellent service, and support, and Apple promise that they are ‘Like New’ products.
Stock Fluctuations
Apple Refurbished Products, unfortunately, do not have a steady flow supply. However, this is to be expected because it’s dependent on the number of Apple Products returned by people. So, the stock of Apple Refurbished products are constantly fluctuating. So, you need to be watching the website like a hawk. Of course, there are moments when there are large quantities as well.
While these products can be significantly cheaper than other Apple products, there are some issues. For example:
These specs are not going to be the same as the other new Apple Products. The RAM or the Graphics cards might be different or the processor might be older. These Refurbished Products are also sold alongside the newer models. So, it can get difficult to figure out which model has the latest specs.
I would seriously recommend you to read the product descriptions and research the specs before buying the Apple Refurbished product. Especially, since there are chances where you can buy the latest Macbook with really old internal components.
From personal experience, you will have to wait for a significant amount of time before you find the device of your choice. The best way to go about this is to get third-party sites to notify you when the device of your choice is available. After all, you can’t be wasting hours every day.
A quick solution is to sign up to Refurb.me and get notified when a particular Apple refurbished product is in stock. You can choose to receive notifications about a particular model of product and check its availability stats such as how often they are added to the list and how the price has changed over a period of time.
Another tracker you can use to keep an eye on available Apple refurbished products is Refurb Tracker. You can add this site to your RSS feeds and receive timely notifications about all the products a particular Apple Refurbished store has. Refurb Tracker works in a number of countries where Apple has set up their refurbished store.
What about New Releases
Newly launched Apple products won’t be available to buy refurbished for at least a few months. You will need to wait at least six to nine months after a product goes on sale to find it in the refurbished store.
It can take more than a year for Apple to make refurbished iPhones for sale in their store. So, if you are planning to get a refurbished iPhone 13, you might soon be able to buy it, but if you are looking for an iPhone 14, you might have to wait till next year.
Shipping and In-store pickup of Apple Refurbished Products
When you purchase refurbished products from Apple, you can either choose to ship them to your home or you can pick them up from a local Apple Store. You won’t be able to pick up refurbished products on the same day because they have to come from a central warehouse.
Refurbished products are also not available in-store, once you buy them, they’ll be sent to an Apple Store. The good news is that shipping usually only takes 2 to 3 days, so you will have your hands on a refurbished Apple device soon.
Which Countries have Apple Refurbished products
Apple-certified refurbished products are available only in select countries. Here’s a full list of the countries where you can buy Apple refurbished products:
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Canada
- China
- France
- Germany
- Hong Kong
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- United Kingdom
- United States
Are Apple Refurbished Products Good – Final Thoughts
So, Are Apple Refurbished Products Good? Apple refurbished products, not for everyone but for the right person, it is a dream come true. If you are someone who wants an Apple device but doesn’t have the budget for it, Apple refurbished products are something you should consider. They offer excellent value, perform and look like new products at a lower price.
What makes this deal all the better is the excellent warrant and support offered by them. It is in a way a new Apple product for a cheaper price. So, if you are someone who doesn’t mind that they are not brand new, limited by budget, but love Apple, go get yourself an Apple Refurbished product straight from Apple’s website.
So, is apple refurbished worth it? I would say yes!
FAQs
Is Apple refurbished safe to buy?
Yes, it is safe to buy Apple Refurbished products. Apple tests, repairs and makes sure that all refurbished products are in good condition. Almost as good as new.
What does Apple Certified refurbished mean?
Apple Certified refurbished means that the devices are checked and tested by Apple. These are the best quality refurbished because Apple tests them and fixes them for any issues as well.
Do refurbished Apple products have scratches?
Apple Certified refurbished means that the devices are checked and tested by Apple. These are the best quality refurbished because Apple tests them and fixes them for any issues as well.
Is it safe to buy refurbished Apple products from third-party sellers?
Refurbished Apple products that are sold on third-party websites are cheaper to buy, but these products have not been tested or repaired by Apple and there’s no guarantee that the product will last. Moreover, third-party sites normally don’t provide warranty on refurbished goods and if they do it will be for hardly 90-days.
Also Read:
Alan Urban is the Editor-in-chief of Stupid Apple Rumours and often proclaims that he’s ” Apple’s number one fan.”
In addition to keeping up with the latest Apple news, he also reviews Apple products and creates user-friendly guides. When not subjecting Apple Devices to crazy stress tests, he’s usually playing games on Apple Arcade