Malcolm Owen
Apple has started to sell manufacturer-reconditioned versions of the iPhone X through its online store, but while it provides a cheaper alternative to the current-generation iPhone XS, the pricing of the models makes it more expensive to acquire than the newer iPhone XR.
Appearing through the company's refurbished section of the online Apple Store, the iPhone X is being offered as an unlocked device, having passed through Apple's process. Models are offered packed in a brand new white box, a new battery and outer shell, and a one-year warranty, the same as a brand new iPhone.
According to the store's pricing, the 64-gigabyte model is being sold for $769, effectively $230 off the original sale price for the model at launch, while the 256-gigabyte capacity variant is on sale for $899, itself a savings of $230 from the $1,149 launch price. Both models are also offered in Space Gray and Silver variants.
The appearance in the refurbished store is a first for the model, which was replaced by the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max last fall. It has also been a very brief appearance in the store as well, as at the time of publication there are no longer any more units available of the iPhone X.
While the deal is attractive to some users, it is notable that the refurbished iPhone X is being offered at a higher price than the current-generation iPhone XR, which has a larger LCD display instead of OLED, a faster processor and a single camera on the rear. The iPhone X does offer dual cameras on the rear as well as an OLED display, which offers a better picture quality than the similarly-priced and newer model.
For comparison, the lowest-capacity iPhone XR model at 64 gigabytes sells for $749, $20 less than the pre-owned iPhone X. For the 256-gigabyte capacity model, the iPhone XR costs $899, the same as the used iPhone X following Apple's refurbishment.
Find even lower prices elsewhere
Those looking for the lowest price on the iPhone X can find even more aggressive deals at third-party resellers. Gazelle currently has a variety of models available from $669 with a Gazelle Certified Guarantee. This means the devices have passed a 30-point inspection for added peace of mind.
Walmart Marketplace sellers also have iPhone X devices on sale, with locked and unlocked options available from $605.
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8 Comments
How about buying on for example AT&T where BOGO deal gives you $750. And unless you are like me who desn't care slight improvement in screen tech, iPhone X is OLED vs XR LCD with bit larger screen.
Seems to me the XR is a better deal. With a used X, you’re getting OLED, 2X zoom, 3D Touch and stainless band. Getting that in a used device doesn’t seem a good deal.
These are 4 year devices - after a new battery 3 years in - and people really shouldn’t be trying to save $300 when having a phone for that long. Just get a XS.
If $800 is indeed a time of purchase limit, the XR is faster, will have better battery life, better camera mostly. The OLED is only an advantage with watching videos imo, and that’s what one does all the time, I think that is the only big advantage.
While I see nothing at all wrong with this deal - for many it will be a great opportunity, it did highlight one of my pet peeves:
When trading in a phone with extra storage, you get almost no premium for the extra storage. It's like it's irrelevant.
But, in buying a reconditioned phone (that was likely traded in) the price sources off the original sales price and the price difference between the base storage model ((64Gb) and the upgrade (256gb) remains the same as it was at the time of the original sale.
I don't expect my pet peeve to change anything Apple does, but this just seems illogical and unfair.