If you’re willing to exercise a little patience rather than rushing out to buy a shiny new Apple product on launch day, then Apple’s refurbished store has always been an excellent option. Typically, there will be around a three-month wait between a product launch and the first refurbished models appearing on Apple’s website.

Other companies offers their own alternatives, like Amazon Renewed and Walmart Restored, but it’s important to understand the different standards and warranties that apply …

Buying from Apple’s Certified Refurbished store gets you a typical discount of 15% on a product that will be indistinguishable from new. Specifically, Apple guarantees all of the following:

• Full inspection and testing by Apple
• A brand new outer shell, so there will never be any marks or scratches
• A brand new battery, so you’ll get the same battery life as usual
• All original accessories and cables are included
• Apple’s standard one-year warranty applies in exactly the same way as a new product
• The same eligibility for AppleCare+

Literally the only difference you’ll see is that products are supplied in a plain white box rather than the original packaging.

Amazon Renewed can offer more competitive pricing, but it’s worth being aware that you’re not getting the same guarantees as to condition:

• Inspection and testing by the seller, not by Apple
• Used outer shell, so expect marks and scratches (see below)
• Used battery, only guaranteed to exceed 80% of the original capacity
• Accessories may not be genuine Apple ones
• 90-day Amazon warranty, instead of 1-year Apple one

As for marks and scratches, Amazon offers three tier quality tiers:

• Premium/Excellent: No signs of cosmetic damage when held 12 inches away
• Good: Light scratches, barely visible when holding the device 12 inches away
• Acceptable: Scratches that are easily seen and felt

Walmart Restored is a lot vaguer than Amazon on what you’re getting for your money:

• Inspection and testing by the seller, not by Apple
• No promises as to cosmetic condition, only “like-new performance and reliability”
• No specifics on the battery condition beyond the above
• No information on accessories
• Seller warranty, instead of 1-year Apple one

The seller warranty is for one year on the Restored Premium tier, and 90 days on Like New, Good, and Fair tiers. The company isn’t specific about its definitions for each tier.

If you want a product indistinguishable from new in terms of both condition and Apple warranty, then it’s clear that Apple’s refurbished store is the place to go.

Amazon Renewed can, however, offer significantly better pricing, so if you’re willing to accept the compromises listed above, you may consider this a decent deal. In particular, if you’re opting to take our advice to save money by upgrading to the iPhone 17 Pro instead of this year’s model (when the only accessory you’re sacrificing is the cable), there are some attractive deals here:

• 1TB iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange $1,214 (Reg. $1,499 new) – all-time low
• 1TB iPhone 17 Pro Deep Blue $1,215 (Reg. $1,499 new) – all-time low
• 1TB iPhone 17 Pro Silver $1,208 (Reg. $1,499 new) – all-time low
• 512GB iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange $1,164 (Reg. $1,299 new) – all-time low
• 512GB iPhone 17 Pro Deep Blue $1,170 (Reg. $1,299 new) – all-time low
• 512GB iPhone 17 Pro Silver $1,171 (Reg. $1,299 new) – within $1 of all-time low

As for Walmart Restored, I’d worry about the extreme vagueness of the promises, but you do have the option of returning them if you aren’t happy.

HT Engadget