Refurbished iPhones ā Up to 40% Off
Apple has been making iPhones since 2007, and the core philosophy hasnāt changed: build hardware and software together so tightly that nothing else comes close.
That obsession is why iPhones hold their value longer than almost any other smartphone. A three-year-old iPhone still runs the latest iOS, still gets security updates, and still sells for more secondhand than most Android flagships do, brand-new.
At The Big Phone Store, a refurbished iPhone typically costs 40% less than buying new. If you are looking for an iPhone refurbished in the UK, you can buy our reconditioned iPhone models with total confidence. You get the same device, the same software support and the same build quality ā just without the new-phone premium.
iPhones sold, last 12 months | TrustPilot reviews about our iPhones | iPhone return rate | Repeat buyers |
32,000+ | 1,400 ā 4.8ā
| >1.4% | 19% |
Which Refurbished iPhone Is Right for You?
Pick | Model | Why | Our take |
Best for camera | iPhone 15 | The iPhone 15 is the best camera choice for most refurbished buyers because it brings Appleās 48MP Main camera, 24MP/48MP super-high-resolution photos, sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, Smart HDR 5, improved portraits, Night mode and 4K Dolby Vision video. | This is the Apple iPhone refurbished model weād recommend if you take lots of photos of family, products, holidays, pets, nights out or social content. You get a clear camera upgrade over older models without needing to jump to a Pro model. |
Best for battery | iPhone 14 Plus | The iPhone 14 Plus is built for customers who want less battery anxiety. Apple lists it at up to 26 hours of video playback and up to 100 hours of audio playback. | This is the easy recommendation for commuters, parents, drivers, heavy WhatsApp users, Netflix watchers and anyone who forgets to charge overnight. In refurbished iPhone UK buying, battery condition matters more than the spec sheet, which is why our testing and minimum battery health standards are such a big part of the recommendation. |
Best value | iPhone 13 | The iPhone 13 still gives most buyers what they actually need: a sharp 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, A15 Bionic performance, 5G, strong cameras and iOS 26 compatibility. We highlight its A15 chip and OLED display as key everyday strengths. | This is the ādonāt overpay for features you wonāt noticeā iPhone. It feels modern, runs smoothly, takes great photos and still has strong software life ahead of it. For customers moving from an iPhone 8, XR, 11 or SE, it feels like a proper upgrade. It is the safest value recommendation for most people looking to buy an iPhone, refurbished. |
Best for first-timers | iPhone SE 2022 | The iPhone SE 2022 gives customers a familiar home-button design, 5G and Appleās A15 Bionic chip in a compact, affordable package. We would describe it as a ācompact, no-nonsense iPhoneā for people who want reliable everyday performance without paying for a large-screen flagship. | This is perfect for first-time iPhone buyers, children, older users, work phones or anyone who wants Apple reliability without changing how they use their phone. It is a lower-risk reconditioned iPhone because it is affordable, easy to use, familiar in the hand and still powerful enough for everyday apps. |
Our Best-Selling Refurbished iPhones
Ranked by units sold, last 12 months.
Itās simple, reliable, and a complete standout for reliability. This is one of the phones our Marketing team uses for social media posts, and we wouldnāt swap it for anything. For customers looking for an Apple iPhone refurbished UK option with a premium camera, big display and excellent everyday performance, this is one of our strongest recommendations.
7,700 sold Ā· Popularity score: 92/100
Best for someone who wants a modern iPhone that feels like a proper upgrade, but does not want to pay the latest iPhone price. It is one of the easiest apple refurbished phones to recommend because it balances price, performance and remaining software support so well.
6,300 sold Ā· Popularity score: 87/100
This is a perfect entry point into the Apple family. Itās a low-cost route to a reliable phone, and the performance still feels up to date. For anyone comparing an iPhone reconditioned model against buying new, the SE 2022 shows how much value a professionally tested device can offer.
5,100 sold Ā· Popularity score: 81/100
āIāve used the iPhone 14 Pro Max to do plenty of our social media posts, professional photos and way more, Iāve never once been disappointed. Iāve actually been able to leave the professional camera on my desk because the 14 Pro Max gives me a similar result, itās impressive.ā
ā James Taylor, Social Media Architect at The Big Phone Store.
Grade Guide ā What to Expect from an iPhone
Every grade is fully functional. Every refurbished iPhone we sell, at every grade, has passed our full diagnostics. The difference is cosmetic only.
A few things worth knowing about how we grade before you look at the table:
We resolve all performance issues before cosmetic assessment. The grade reflects the deviceās true finished condition, not a quick visual check.
If a device sits between two grades, we under-grade it. What arrives is always at least as good as described, and almost always better.
Around 90% of iPhones retain their original screen. Where a screen replacement is needed, we fit premium OLED matched to Appleās original specification, not cheaper alternatives that trigger Appleās parts warning notifications.
Every battery is tested and logged before grading. We replace any battery below our minimum threshold before the device is assessed. That is one of the key differences between a professionally tested apple reconditioned iPhone and a used phone bought from an unknown seller.
Grade | What it looks like | Common wear on iPhones | Battery health on arrival | Best suited to |
Like New | No marks visible at normal viewing distance. Glass back and frame in near-pristine condition. | Effectively none at this grade | 100% | Buyers who want as-new, or buying as a gift |
Pristine | Micro-scratches only, visible under direct light or close inspection, not in normal use | Hairline marks on the aluminium or titanium frame; glass back typically clean | 85%+ | Near-new condition without the Like New price |
Very Good | Light scratches visible at certain angles | Frame corners and the area around the rear camera module | 85%+ | The sweet spot ā better condition than expected at a strong price |
Good | Noticeable scuffs and scratches; heavier cosmetic wear | Frame marks visible; rear glass may have light scratches; screen typically cleaner than the body | 85%+ | Budget-first buyers, or anyone putting the phone straight into a case |
Best iPhone at Each Grade
Grade | Best model | Why |
Like New | iPhone 15 | Like New makes the most sense on a newer model because the price saving versus buying new still matters, but the phone should feel close to fresh out of the box. If you want an Apple refurbished iPhone UK choice that still feels premium, this is the grade and model combination to look at. |
Pristine | iPhone 14 | Pristine is the grade we would steer many buyers towards if they want the phone to look excellent but do not need to pay the Like New premium, which makes the iPhone 14 its ideal iPhone counterpart. |
Very Good | iPhone 13 | Very Good iPhone 13 is arguably the best all-round refurb buy. The device still feels modern, supports iOS 26, has an OLED display and strong A15 performance, while the grade keeps the price sensible. This is the grade/model combination for customers who want the best balance of condition and value from a reconditioned Apple iPhone. |
Good | iPhone SE 2022 | Good condition makes sense on the SE 2022 because it is often bought for practical reasons: first phone, work phone, spare phone, school phone or budget iPhone. Cosmetic marks matter less if the phone is going straight into a case, making it a smart way to buy reconditioned iPhone models on a tighter budget. |
By Budget
Budget | Best pick | Why |
Under £100 | iPhone SE 2020 | The best low-cost iPhone for customers who want Apple reliability, 5G and everyday speed without paying for a larger screen. It is ideal for children, first-time iPhone users, work devices or anyone who prefers Touch ID. |
Under £250 | iPhone 13 | The strongest value pick for most buyers. It gives you the full-screen iPhone design, OLED display, Face ID, strong camera performance, A15 Bionic speed and iOS 26 compatibility, while staying much cheaper than newer models. If you are searching for an Apple UK refurbished iPhone, this is one of the easiest models to recommend. |
Under £500 | iPhone 16 | The best choice if battery life and screen size matter more to you. It is great for streaming, maps, long workdays, travel and those who do not want to keep reaching for a charger. For customers who want a newer apple iphone reconditioned model, it gives you a more current feel while still avoiding the full cost of buying new. |
Common Questions About Refurbished iPhones
What battery health will my iPhone have when it arrives?
Our Quality Control logs, not manufacturer estimates, show iPhones leave us with an average battery health of 85%. Apple considers anything above 80% to be within normal range. Most of our stock ships well above that.
This is why buying a professionally tested refurbished iPhone UK model from The Big Phone Store is different from buying a used device privately. Every battery is checked, logged and held to our minimum standard before dispatch.
Does The Big Phone Store use genuine Apple components?
98% of iPhones leave us with 100% genuine Apple parts. Where a screen replacement is needed, we fit premium OLED matched to Appleās original spec, not cheaper alternatives that affect display quality or trigger Appleās parts warning in Settings.
Battery replacements use genuine cells. Our Quality Charter sets this as a non-negotiable: we wonāt repair it if it wonāt last.
That is especially important when comparing an Apple refurbished iPhone or reconditioned iPhone online, because the quality of testing, parts and repair work can vary massively between sellers.
How long will my refurbished iPhone receive software updates?
Apple supports iPhones with iOS updates for around six years from launch, longer than almost any Android manufacturer. We list the exact expected end-of-support date on every product page.
The most popular model in our range right now, the iPhone 14 Pro Max, is supported until at least 2029.
Whatās the most popular refurbished iPhone right now?
The iPhone 14 Pro Max ā 7,700 units sold in the last 12 months.
This model consistently wins because it hits the best balance of price, spec and remaining software support. It is also one of the strongest choices for customers looking for an Apple iPhone refurbished device with a premium camera and long-term usability.
About Apple & Our Expertise
Apple doesnāt compete on specs the way other manufacturers do. Where rivals chase headline numbers: megapixels, RAM, battery size, Apple engineers its own chips, writes its own operating system, and designs both around each other.
The result is a phone that ages more gracefully than the numbers suggest, and feels consistent in a way thatās hard to quantify but easy to notice.
That loyalty is reflected in the second-hand market. iPhones depreciate more slowly than almost any Android device, which means a refurbished iPhone gives you more phone per pound than almost anything else we sell.
Weāve been buying, testing and grading iPhones since 1999. They consistently rank as our top-selling brand. iPhones arrive in better average condition than most other brands we handle. Appleās build quality means glass backs and aluminium frames wear predictably, and genuine parts are widely available, which keeps our repair quality high.
Our refurbishment process is fully in-house at our Wolverhampton facility. Every iPhone follows a fixed workflow, and if a fault appears later, we can trace it to the exact step and fix the root cause.
We only stock UK-spec, CE-approved devices. This matters because non-UK models can carry firmware and network differences that customers often misattribute to grading. We remove that variable entirely, so when you buy an iPhone refurbished UK model from us, you know it has been prepared for UK customers, UK networks and UK expectations.
āIt sounds really complicated and specialised, so to put it simply, if it doesnāt meet every strict standard we set, thereās no way weāll send it out to a customer. Ever.ā
ā Lucie Lomberska, Warehouse Executive
What Customers Say About Our iPhones
1,400 five-star TrustPilot reviews mention iPhones specifically. Our Q4 2025 sentiment analysis across all devices showed the most common themes in positive reviews were:
Theme | Share of positive reviews |
Customer service | 32.1% |
Delivery | 27.8% |
Quality / as described | 21.2% |
Price | 19.8% |
Battery health | 5.5% |
āExtremely quick response to order. Phone shipped in 11 minutes and delivered very promptly via Royal Mail the next morning. As happened with a previous iPhone purchase a few years ago. Both items were in pristine condition as described.ā
ā NC, verified buyer
The most common criticism in the wider refurbished iPhone market is battery health not matching expectations.
We address it directly: every iPhone has its battery tested and logged before grading, we replace anything below our minimum threshold, and the grade-by-grade data above comes from our own QC records.
In 2025, we also published updated grading definitions in plain English, backed by short videos showing what each grade looks like in practice.
You can also visit our Wolverhampton store to inspect and test devices in person before buying. For customers unsure whether to buy new, used, or an iPhone reconditioned by a specialist, seeing the devices in person can make the decision much easier.
iPhone Warranty, Returns & Delivery
iPhones hold their value and tend to be used for longer than most phones. A standard 12-month warranty covers you for the first year, but given the price point and the lifespan of an iPhone, itās worth upgrading.
Our lifetime warranty in particular makes sense here. On a phone that could easily run for five or six years, itās the closest thing to total peace of mind on a refurbished device.
12-month warranty on every refurbished iPhone ā upgradable to 24 months, 5 years or lifetime
45-day no-quibble returns ā full refund or exchange
95% of post-sale issues processed within 24 hours, 100% resolved within 48ā72 hours
Free next-day delivery on orders over £150, dispatched from our Wolverhampton facility
Replacement Sent First ā if your iPhone develops a confirmed fault and needs replacing, we dispatch the replacement before you return the original. You stay connected while we sort it.
Optional PIER insurance ā covers loss, theft and accidental damage, for anything outside standard warranty terms
Our packaging is worth a mention too. We upgraded to a foil-laminated, reinforced box with bubble-bag cushioning specifically to protect devices in transit.
Since the redesign, transit damage incidents dropped by 80%. Your iPhone arrives in a gift bag with a microfibre cloth, because refurbished shouldnāt feel like anything less than perfect.