Refurbished iPhones, ranked

The best place to buy a refurbished iPhone in the UK is Apple Certified Refurbished for condition and Amazon Renewed for price. Apple fits every refurbished iPhone with a new battery and a new outer shell and backs it with its own one-year warranty. Amazon Renewed sells the same models for about £180 to £210 less, with a one-year Amazon Renewed Guarantee and a battery of at least 80% of its original capacity, or 90% on Renewed Premium. On 23 September 2026 a renewed iPhone 15 128GBcost £360 on Amazon UK against £569 on Apple's UK refurbished store.

Back Market, giffgaff, O2 Like New and Music Magpie sit between the two on price and differ mainly on warranty length and returns. The best-value refurbished iPhone is the renewed iPhone 16 128GBat £479.99, which costs the least per year of guaranteed software support. Compare Electronic's seller matrix, Apple-versus-Amazon price gap and renewed value table follow below.

Where is the best place to buy a refurbished iPhone in the UK?

The best place depends on which of three things matters most: a new battery (Apple), the lowest price (Amazon Renewed) or the longest warranty (O2 Like New on a qualifying plan, or giffgaff). Compare Electronic's refurbished iPhone seller matrix lines up each seller's published terms as of September 2026:

• Apple Certified Refurbished: new battery and outer shell, a one-year Apple warranty and AppleCare+ eligibility, at the highest refurbished prices.
• Amazon Renewed: the lowest prices, a one-year guarantee and an 80% battery floor, with third-party suppliers doing the refurbishment.
• Amazon Renewed Premium: the same guarantee with a 90% battery floor, no screen scratches and no damage visible from 30 cm.
• Back Market: a marketplace of independent refurbishers with a one-year minimum warranty, 30-day returns and an optional new battery on some listings.
• giffgaff: 12 to 24 months of warranty depending on grade, the longest standard cover without a contract.
• O2 Like New: an 80% battery minimum and a 40-point check, with a three-year warranty on O2 Classic, Plus and Ultimate plans and one year otherwise.
• Music Magpie: a free 12-month warranty and three grades, but no published battery minimum.

Every seller in the matrix is a UK trader, so the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies to all of them: a refurbished iPhone must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described, with a 30-day right to reject a fault for a full refund. The returns column above is the separate, no-reason change-of-mind window.

Is Apple Certified Refurbished worth it?

Apple Certified Refurbished is worth it for buyers who want a refurbished iPhone that is new in every part they touch, and poor value for everyone else. Apple replaces the battery and outer shell on every refurbished iPhone, ships it in a new white box and covers it with the same one-year warranty as a new iPhone. The cost of that is a premium of roughly £200 over Amazon Renewed:

The premium is consistent at £179.01 to £209.01, and it is too large in one case. Apple's refurbished iPhone 16 128GB costs £659, only £60.10 less than a new iPhone 16 128GBat £719.10 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026). The refurbished iPhone 15 128GB at £569 is £30 less than a new iPhone 15 on Amazon UK at £599. At those gaps a new phone, with a sealed battery and no prior owner, is the better buy. Apple's refurbished store is strongest on discontinued Pro models, where no new alternative exists: a refurbished iPhone 15 Pro Max 256GB costs £849 from Apple against a £1,199 launch price.

Is Amazon Renewed safe for iPhones?

Amazon Renewed is safe for iPhones, provided the buyer checks the battery and parts on arrival. Amazon states that a qualified supplier inspects, tests and cleans every Renewed item and replaces defective parts, and the one-year Amazon Renewed Guarantee offers a replacement or refund if the phone stops working as expected. The 30-day right to reject under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies on top.

The two real risks are the battery and the parts. An 80% battery holds four-fifths of its original charge, so an iPhone 16 that Apple rated at 22 hours of video playback when new could manage around 17.6 hours at the Renewed floor. Renewed Premium raises the floor to 90%. Replacement parts may not be Apple originals, and iOS reports that under Settings, General, About, in the parts and service history. The new vs renewed vs refurbished guide covers when Renewed is and is not worth it across other devices.

1. iPhone 15 128GB (Renewed) - cheapest refurbished iPhone

The renewed iPhone 15 128GB costs £360 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026), £439 below its £799 launch price and £239 below a new iPhone 15 on Amazon UK at £599. The iPhone 15 was the first standard iPhone with USB-C, the Dynamic Island and a 48 MP main camera, so it covers the features most buyers notice day to day. It keeps a 60 Hz display and lacks a telephoto. The iPhone 15 suits buyers who want the cheapest current-feeling iPhone, and it is also the only iPhone in the best budget phone UK 2026 guide.

2. iPhone 16 128GB (Renewed) - best-value refurbished iPhone

The renewed iPhone 16 128GB costs £479.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026), £239.11 or 33.3% below the new iPhone 16 128GB at £719.10. The iPhone 16 adds the A18 chip, 8 GB of RAM, Camera Control and the Action button over the iPhone 15, and a year more of Apple's guaranteed support. At £160.00 per guaranteed year it is the cheapest refurbished iPhone to own per year of updates. Renewed prices on Amazon UK can move, so check the listing before buying.

3. iPhone 15 Pro 128GB (Renewed) - best Pro under £500

The renewed iPhone 15 Pro 128GB costs £477.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026), £521.01 or 52.2% below its £999 launch price and £201.01 below Apple's refurbished iPhone 15 Pro at £679. For £2 less than the renewed iPhone 16, the iPhone 15 Pro brings a 120 Hz ProMotion display, a 3x telephoto, a titanium frame and 8 GB of RAM, which Apple requires for Apple Intelligence. The trade is one year less of guaranteed support. Buyers who want the bigger screen can pick the renewed iPhone 15 Pro Max 256GB at £639.99, which adds a 5x telephoto and a 4,441 mAh battery.

4. iPhone 16 Pro 128GB (Renewed) - newest refurbished Pro

The renewed iPhone 16 Pro 128GB costs £617 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026), £382 or 38.2% below its £999 launch price. Apple does not list the iPhone 16 Pro on its UK refurbished store at the time of writing, so Amazon Renewed and the marketplaces are the main routes to one. The iPhone 16 Pro has a 6.3-inch 120 Hz display, the A18 Pro chip, a 48 MP ultrawide and a 5x telephoto, and Apple rated it at 27 hours of video playback when new. It suits buyers who want a Pro camera with support to at least 2029, at about half the price of the new iPhone 18 Pro.

Which refurbished iPhone is best value?

The renewed iPhone 16 128GB is the best-value refurbished iPhone, because it costs the least per year of Apple's guaranteed support. Apple commits to a minimum of five years of security updates from each iPhone's first supply, so an iPhone launched in September 2024 is covered until at least September 2029. Compare Electronic's renewed iPhone value table divides each Amazon UK price by the guaranteed years left:

Three findings stand out. The iPhone 15 is the cheapest up front but costs £20 more per guaranteed year than the iPhone 16, because its support clock started a year earlier. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 cost £2 apart, so the choice is a better screen and zoom against a year of extra support. And the iPhone 15 Pro Max has the largest cash saving at £559.01 but the highest cost per guaranteed year, at £320.00.

The guaranteed figure is a floor. Apple's record for major iOS versions has run to six years or more on recent iPhones, so the real cost per year is likely lower for every model in the table. Buyers comparing these against new phones should see the best phone UK autumn 2026 guide, which runs the same cost-per-year sum on current flagships.

What do refurbished condition grades mean?

Refurbished grades describe cosmetic condition, not how well the iPhone works: every grade from every seller here must be fully functional. The names differ between sellers, so the same phrase can mean different things:

The grade worth paying for is the one that changes the battery floor, not the one that removes a hairline scratch a case will cover. On Amazon, that means Renewed Premium; on Back Market, the Premium grade or the optional new battery.

What should you check when a refurbished iPhone arrives?

A refurbished iPhone should be checked in the first 30 days, while the Consumer Rights Act 2015 right to reject still gives a full refund. Five checks cover the common problems:

1. Battery health:Settings, Battery, Battery Health. The figure must meet the seller's minimum: 80% for Amazon Renewed, 90% for Renewed Premium.
2. Parts and service history: Settings, General, About. iOS flags replaced screens, batteries and cameras that are not genuine Apple parts.
3. Activation Lock:the setup screen must not ask for a previous owner's Apple Account.
4. Network lock: insert a SIM from a different network and make a call.
5. Cameras, Face ID and speakers: test each lens, set up Face ID and play audio at full volume.

Verdict

Amazon Renewed is the best place to buy a refurbished iPhone in the UK for most buyers, because it is about £200 cheaper than Apple for the same model with the same one-year cover. Apple Certified Refurbished is the choice for buyers who want a new battery and shell, O2 Like New and giffgaff offer the longest warranties, and Back Market offers the widest choice with 30-day returns. The renewed iPhone 16 128GB is the best value at £479.99, the renewed iPhone 15 128GB is the cheapest at £360, and the renewed iPhone 15 Pro 128GB is the best Pro under £500. Buyers weighing the new range instead should read iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone comparison UK 2026.