- Apple has added refurbished iPhone 16e models to its online store
- Savings range from $180 to $220 compared to the unit’s MSRP
- Apple’s refurbishment process is known to be very thorough
Apple’s recent price hikes have sparked consternation among consumers, with huge increases making their presence known across the board. Fortunately, none of the best iPhones have been affected yet, and Apple has just given people an excellent opportunity to get their hands on a great phone and save money at the same time.
Specifically, Apple just added the iPhone 16e to its online store for refurbished products. Given that there is widespread speculation that Apple will raise iPhone prices in September, this may be your best chance to get a solid iPhone at an affordable price for some time.
The entry-level iPhone 16e with 128GB of storage is priced at $419 on Apple’s US online store, marking a savings of $180 on the iPhone 16e’s original $599 list price. You can upgrade to 256GB of storage for $509 (saving $190) or 512GB for $679, which is a $220 discount.
Every refurbished iPhone 16e on Apple’s website is available unlocked and in both black and white color options. That means there are six different variants to choose from, in addition to a host of other refreshed iPhones across the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 lines.
A ‘like new’ unit
You might think you can find a used iPhone 16e for less than Apple charges on its refurbished website, and that’s almost certainly true. But there are a few things to keep in mind about Apple’s refurbishment process that you’ll want to know.
A device purchased from Apple’s refurbished website will almost certainly be in better condition than anything you can get elsewhere. Apple inspects each refurbished device and replaces all defective parts with genuine replacements. It then gives the device a clean and packs it in an original box with all cables and accessories. This isn’t just a used iPhone covered in bumps and bruises that you can pick up on eBay, nor is it a refurbished device fitted with fake replacement components.
All of which means that the device you get from Apple is pretty much like new. I wanted to know – I bought my MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro chip from Apple’s refurbished website. When it arrived, it was largely indistinguishable from a new device, with the only giveaway being that its battery had registered about five cycles – which is still practically nothing.
Similarly, my TechRadar colleague Thomas Deehan took a refurbished iPhone 16 from Giffgaff and described it as “almost identical to one that could be bought brand new via the Apple Store.” He added: “I honestly wondered if I had just been sent a brand new iPhone by mistake.”
So if you’re in the market for an iPhone and want to avoid the risk of price increases later this year, a refurbished iPhone 16e might do the trick. Now that Apple sells this model on its own website, you have an additional choice of where to get one from. But no matter where you buy one, you can get a serious discount before the new normal with higher prices kicks in.
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