5 Cons of Buying a Used iPhone

The iPhone is one of the best smartphones you can buy; in fact, Apple phones are the most popular in the United States. Even when you buy an iPhone used or a few years old, it can still be better than many mid-range Android options. However, there are downsides to buying a used iPhone. You may not receive many more iOS updates, hardware may age more quickly, and it’s harder to trust the refurbished market when you don’t necessarily know the origin of a device.

All of these factors could make a somewhat cheap phone much more expensive in the long run. After all, if you buy a phone with counterfeit parts, you may have to spend more on genuine replacements. Apple is making it nearly impossible for customers to use counterfeit parts on newer devices because every internal part now requires validation from Apple, even if you take it to a third-party repair shop.

Whenever someone asks me what is the best iPhone they can get at the cheapest price, I never recommend buying a used device. I usually say that the best iPhone they can get is the newest their money can buy, because they can ensure that the phone will last longer before running into problems. These are some of the disadvantages of buying a used iPhone.

If you’re just looking for a new iPhone, then you might think that buying a used iPhone 15 might be a great idea, right? The phone was released in 2023, so it is relatively new and offers the latest design. However, the iPhone 15 is the last iPhone that does not support Apple Intelligence, which requires an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. Many of Apple’s current and future software updates simply aren’t designed to work with older iPhones as the tech giant increasingly focuses on Apple Intelligence capabilities. iOS 27 will continue support until iPhone 11, a device released in 2019.

However, you never know how long Apple will support a software update. Apple typically provides major software updates to its devices for seven years, before they become no longer supported. Fortunately, they will still receive smaller incremental updates with security fixes. However, you can never know until Apple keeps the devices updated for sure. For example, watchOS 27 dropped support for the original Apple Watch Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, SE 2, and Apple Watch Ultra. The original Series 8 and Ultra models were released in 2022, so they were only four years old when they were discontinued.

Another downside to buying an old iPhone is that you’ll get old hardware. Apple is constantly improving the battery life of newer iPhones, not only with bigger batteries, but also with more efficient processors. In the iPhone 17 Pro, Apple stopped using titanium and even added a vapor chamber cooling system to better cool the device’s processor, so it can run more demanding tasks without quickly draining the battery. Depending on the age of the used iPhone you buy, you may miss out on key features. For example, an iPhone 16 does not offer Always-On Display or ProMotion features, unlike the iPhone 17 – these features were previously exclusive to the Pro models. An iPhone 15 does not have camera controls, while the iPhone 14 does not have an action button.

Another big drawback could be the amount of storage on your device. The iPhone 17 starts with 256GB of storage, which is an increase from the starting 128GB of storage offered by the iPhone 13 through iPhone 16. If you’re considering a 2022 iPhone 12 or iPhone SE 3, your device may only have 64GB of storage, which isn’t practical for 2026 standards. fast charging capabilities and software features, buying old hardware can be very tricky, especially in the long run, as you may want to keep your device for a good few years.

Apple offers a free one-year universal warranty for its products. Even if you don’t buy a new device directly from Apple, it still comes with a year of warranty. This applies to all Apple devices purchased in any region, although you will only be able to get repairs in the country of purchase. However, if you buy a used iPhone, chances are it’s more than a year old and the original warranty has expired. I’m selling my old iPhones with AppleCare+ coverage and I advise my friends to only buy used iPhones with AppleCare+ in place.

But the most likely scenario is that a used iPhone comes with no warranty or AppleCare+. Apple only offers 60 days after purchasing a new device to add AppleCare+; if you take more time you can’t add it anymore. In the long run, this means that after you buy your new iPhone used, you probably won’t have access to free replacements or discounted repair rates if something happens to your phone. This is a big inconvenience, especially when you check prices for replacing the battery, a broken screen, a broken back glass, or if you need to replace the entire device in the event of an accident. With the iPhone 17 Pro Max, for example, battery services start at $119, screen replacements start at $379, and some repair fees can reach $799.

Many third-party marketplaces sell refurbished iPhones. While there are several reliable options, it’s also very common for people to simply try Facebook Marketplace to find the cheapest deal. However, this is when people are at greater risk of being scammed. If you’re not familiar with the technology or can’t examine your phone carefully before purchasing, it can be difficult to detect if something is wrong. In this case, it may be wise to avoid the second-hand market. Although it is not bad to buy used phones; the best way to achieve this is to buy from markets and applications that are reliable and offer quality guarantees.

In photos, it can be difficult to spot if an iPhone has cosmetic defects. But it is impossible to know if the device has its original accessories and parts, or if the phone is infected with malware or virus to recover your data. It may also be more difficult to check when the iPhone was released, if it still supports the latest iOS updates, or if it still has a warranty. A good step is to try to get a photo of the device with the serial number on the screen, which you can use to check the warranty, what updates it supports, and even if it has been stolen. Although cheaper, it’s like buying a used car. You can get it for a good deal if you know what you’re looking for, or you might have a huge headache.

One of the biggest drawbacks of buying a used iPhone is the condition of its battery. In a year, it is natural for a new iPhone to lose up to 10% of its original capacity, which is consistent with my experience in recent years. However, if you buy a device that was released a few years ago (or even older), chances are it will need a battery replacement. Prices range from $89 for an iPhone 11 to $119 for the newer models.

If you decide to keep the used iPhone without replacing the battery, you may have to charge it more often than you would like, or you may need to carry an external battery with you. Having a phone with terrible battery life can eventually slow down your experience, and sometimes the iPhone may turn off unexpectedly before reaching zero percent. Over the generations of iPhones, Apple has improved the number of cycles an iPhone can hold and added new software features to ensure longer battery life. However, if you buy an older used device, it’s likely that it will have some of the same issues you experienced with your existing iPhone.