Apple has begun selling refurbished versions of the iPhone XR. The device is now available from Apple’s certified refurbished store for $500 — which is actually a great price for a phone that normally costs $600.
Buying a “refurbished” product may seem a little scary, but Apple has become known for selling ultra-high-quality refurbished devices. I personally have bought Apple refurbished products before, and they’re indistinguishable from new devices, down to the packaging.
Apple refurbished phones come with a one-year warranty, and Apple gives them a new battery and outer shell. The phones essentially have the same protection as a new Apple phone. You can also buy AppleCare for one, if you’d like.
Of course, if you’re looking for a budget iPhone, there’s another device worth considering — the $400 iPhone SE. Ultimately, the device you choose may depend on what you’re looking for from your phone.
The iPhone XR was released alongside the iPhone XS, and features a modern design similar to that of the iPhone X and iPhone 11. There’s an edge-to-edge display with a notch at the top, and while it has an LCD display instead of an OLED one, the display still looks great. Under the hood, the device offers an Apple A12 Bionic processor, along with 64GB of storage in the base model. It’s available in a range of different colors — though you may not be able to get your preferred color if you buy the device refurbished, as stock is sometimes a little limited.
The iPhone SE may not be as modern-looking as the iPhone XR, thanks to its larger bezels and home button instead of Face ID, but it’s actually more powerful thanks to its newer Apple A13 Bionic processor. Because of that, customers have a choice — spend more for the more modern look and features, or save a little cash and still receive better performance. Considering the iPhone SE has an A13 chip built into it, it’s possible that it will get an extra year of iOS updates too — though that remains to be seen.
In any case, you can get the refurbished Apple iPhone XR for yourself from the Apple refurbished website.
