When looking through the best iPhone deals, you’ll notice that refurbished phones are significantly cheaper than buying a brand new phone. But you may be wondering if the cheap price is worth the risk of buying what is essentially a second hand device.

The short answer to this question is that yes, it is safe to buy a refurbished phone, as long as you are careful. As long as you keep certain things in mind, do your research, and make a careful choice, you should have no problems with your refurbished device. Here is what you should know about buying a refurbished phone.

Understand What Refurbishment Means

In order to make a sensible choice, the first thing you’ll need to do is make sure that you understand what a refurbished phone is. A refurbished phone has gone through a refurbishment process – this means that it has been professionally reconditioned by the manufacturer or a qualified retailer. This process involves resetting the phone to factory defaults, and checking it for defects as well as cosmetic damage. Refurbished phones may include those which had a fault and so were sent back to the manufacturer and have since been repaired.

It is important to distinguish between refurbished and used phones. Used phones have not gone through any reconditioning process, and may not have even been checked for problems and defects. They are simply second hand phones that are being sold as-is by the previous owner or a third party. The terms “used” and “refurbished” are sometimes used interchangeably, so make sure that you check that what you are buying is in fact a refurbished phone.

Know Who Carried out the Refurbishment

When buying a refurbished phone, who carried out the refurbishment is important. If the refurbishment was done by the manufacturer, you can be confident that it was carried out professionally by someone who is familiar with the technology and your phone should be as good as new.

This doesn’t mean that you should only buy phones that have been refurbished by the manufacturer: there are also qualified retailers who can also do a competent job, often as well as the manufacturer would. You do, however, want to ensure that the retailer is appropriately qualified and experienced enough to complete a proper refurbishment.

Check the Included Features

One thing you need to be aware of when you’re buying a refurbished phone is that by definition you will not get the latest model. This means that your phone will not have the latest technology and features that the newest models have. Before buying a refurbished phone, check the features and functions that it has and critically compare these to your needs and wants. If you want the very latest, cutting-edge technology, a refurbished phone may not be right for you.

Read the Reviews

Buying are furbished phone always involves some degree of risk. You can manage and minimise this risk by making sure you are buying from a reputable retailer. The best way to ensure this is by reading the reviews that other users have left about the retailer and their products. This will give you invaluable insight into the quality of their refurbishments, and the level of their customer service. This will help you to choose a company that will give you a quality product as well as resolve any problems that may eventuate.

Keep Checking for New Products

The nature of refurbished phones is that the available selection is constantly varying. Whether you are buying directly from the manufacturer or from a retailer, the models they have in stock will depend on what comes in for them to refurbish. This means that if you are looking for a particular model, it is worth checking back and seeing what is available over time.

Check the Warranty

One of the most important things when it comes to buying a refurbished phone is the warranty. The warranty is your protection when things go wrong or if the phone develops a fault. Most refurbished phones will come with a warranty, but the exact details of the warranty can vary. Therefore, it is important to check the warranty that your refurbished phone comes with before you confirm the purchase. Be sure to check the length of the warranty provided, as well as which party provides the warranty. Usually the warranty is provided by the party who did the refurbishment, which could be the manufacturer or it could be a retailer. The warranty is usually one year when provided by the manufacturer, and warranties from retailers can vary depending on the type of refurbishment