Best Refurbished Phones and Where to Buy Them
Buy from the maker first. What Apple, Samsung, Google, Amazon Renewed, Back Market and Gazelle each promise on battery, parts, warranty and returns.
The refurbished phones we would buy are the Pixel 8a from Google at $339, the Galaxy S25 from Samsung at $599 and, in India, Samsung’s Galaxy A37 5G at ₹35,699. Each comes with the warranty a new phone gets, and each has more than four years of updates left.
The marketplaces are cheaper. An Amazon Renewed Pixel 8a is around $280 and Gazelle has one at $199.99. The lower price buys a shorter guarantee and a battery that only has to hold 80% of its original charge, or has no stated minimum at all.
What we know of the Galaxy A37 as a phone is first-hand. Oscar Frank, who runs this site, bought the Galaxy A07, A17, A27, A37 and A57, used all five and recommends the A37 to almost everybody. The comparison of this year’s Galaxy A phones has the reasons.
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Updates left on each refurbished phone
A refurbished phone is only a bargain while it still gets updates. Each end date here is the maker’s promise added to the launch date. Google counts from the month a Pixel reached its US store, and Samsung from the global launch.
| Phone | Launched | Maker’s promise | Updates end | Left if bought now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Pixel 8a | May 2024 | 7 years | May 2031 | About 4½ years |
| Google Pixel 8, 8 Pro | October 2023 | 7 years | October 2030 | 4 years |
| Google Pixel 7a | May 2023 | 5 years | May 2028 | About 1½ years |
| Samsung Galaxy S26 | Early 2026 | 7 years | Early 2033 | Over 6 years |
| Samsung Galaxy S25 | January 2025 | 7 years | January 2032 | Over 5 years |
| Samsung Galaxy S24 | January 2024 | 7 years | January 2031 | Over 4 years |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 | February 2023 | 5 years of security updates | February 2028 | Under 1½ years |
| Samsung Galaxy A37 5G | Spring 2026 | Up to 6 years | 2032 | About 5½ years |
| Apple iPhone 15, 16 | September 2023, 2024 | None on Apple’s store pages | Not stated | Not stated |
That table is why the Pixel 8a from Google, at $339, is a buy: four and a half years of updates left and a full year of warranty for $160 less than its original price. The Galaxy S25 from Samsung, at $599, adds a new battery and runs into 2032, and the best Samsung phones show what the same money buys new.
It is also why we would skip the Pixel 7a at $289, which is $50 less than the Pixel 8a for three fewer years of updates, and the Galaxy S23 at $439, whose security updates end in February 2028.
iPhones are fine, with one gap. Apple’s store pages promise no number of years. Its security releases page shows the current iOS 27 running on the iPhone 11, which went on sale in September 2019. That is seven years of track record, not a promise for the iPhone 15.
What each seller promises
| Seller | Who does the work | Warranty and returns | Battery | Parts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Certified Refurbished | Apple | One-year limited warranty, 14-day returns | New | Genuine Apple parts as needed, new outer shell |
| Samsung Certified Re-Newed | Samsung, in a Samsung facility | One-year limited warranty, 15-day returns | Certified new | 100% genuine Samsung parts |
| Google Certified Refurbished | Tested “using Google standards” | One-year limited warranty, 15-day returns | Tested, replaced with a new one only if it fails | Genuine Google parts where needed |
| Amazon Renewed | An “Amazon qualified” supplier or a third-party seller | 90-day return period, 365 days on Renewed Premium | Above 80% of original capacity | Not stated. Accessories may not be original |
| Back Market | Third-party refurbishers it vets | One-year warranty, 30-day returns | At least 80%, or 90% on the Premium grade | Compatible or genuine. Genuine only on Premium |
| Gazelle | Gazelle inspects pre-owned phones | 30-day returns. One-year protection plan is a paid extra | No minimum stated | “all original parts”, says the product page |
Refurbished by the maker
Apple Certified Refurbished
Apple says a refurbished iPhone comes with a new battery and a new outer shell, genuine Apple replacement parts where needed, the cable and a new white box. The warranty is Apple’s standard one year, and Apple’s returns policy gives 14 days from delivery. Apple puts the saving at up to 15%.
The US store has the iPhone 15 Plus from $659, the iPhone 15 Pro from $679, the iPhone 16 Plus from $749 and the iPhone 15 Pro Max from $849, all unlocked. For scale, Apple sells a new iPhone 17e from $699 and a new iPhone 16 at $829. Apple’s UK store has a refurbished iPhone 15 from £569.
Samsung Certified Re-Newed
Samsung says these phones start as trade-ins and are refurbished by Samsung in a facility where it also builds new phones. Each gets a certified new battery, genuine Samsung parts, a new IMEI number, a 147-point test and a new box with a cable. The warranty is one year, “just like our brand new smartphones”, and Samsung’s return window is 15 days from delivery. They are sold unlocked.
On Samsung’s US Re-Newed store the Galaxy S25 128GB is $599 and in stock. The same store lists the phone new at $799.99, with every version out of stock. The S25 Ultra is $979 and the S25+ about $749. The Galaxy S26 at $759, the S24 at $519 and the S23 at $439 are listed and out of stock.
Samsung’s terms change by country. Its UK page gives Re-Newed phones a two-year warranty, the same as new ones there, and has the Galaxy S25 from £599. Its Indian page gives one year, says a phone may have minor cosmetic imperfections, and has the Galaxy A37 5G at ₹35,699 against ₹46,999 new. That is ₹11,300 less for Oscar’s pick of the range, and ₹1,700 more than a new Galaxy A27 5G, the phone Oscar says to skip. Both pages say “certified battery” where the US page says “certified new battery”.
Google Certified Refurbished
Google describes these Pixels as phones that “may have been owned by someone else or may simply have spent a longer-than-usual time in a warehouse”. They are inspected, repaired with genuine parts where necessary and sold unlocked in a new box with a cable. The warranty is one year, which Google calls identical to a new Pixel’s, and Google Store returns run 15 days.
The battery is the difference from Apple and Samsung. Google tests it and fits a new one only if it falls short of Google’s own standard.
On Google’s refurbished page the Pixel 7a is from $289, the Pixel 8a from $339, the Pixel 8 from $459 and the Pixel 8 Pro from $649. Google sets those against original prices of $499, $499, $699 and $999.
Motorola’s, OnePlus’s and Nothing’s US home pages show no refurbished store of their own.
Amazon Renewed, Back Market and Gazelle
Amazon calls Renewed phones “pre-owned, refurbished products”, inspected and tested by a supplier it has qualified, or by the third-party seller. The Amazon Renewed Guarantee gives most items a 90-day return period and Renewed Premium items 365 days. Some carry 30 days plus an 11-month Asurion warranty instead, so read the listing. Accessories may not be original. The grades are cosmetic: Premium and Excellent show no damage from 12 inches, Good has light scratches, and Acceptable has scratches you can feel. Amazon Renewed is worth it for the lowest price with 90 days to change your mind, as long as you expect a battery above 80% of original capacity, not a new one.
Back Market is a marketplace of refurbishers who must follow its Quality Charter. Every phone has a one-year warranty and 30 days to return, and batteries are guaranteed at 80% or more. Its help centre says refurbishers use compatible or genuine parts and that original parts aren’t guaranteed. The exception is the Premium grade: genuine parts only and a 90% battery. Fair, Good and Excellent describe looks alone. Fair can have visible scratches and dents, and the other two have a screen with no scratches.
Gazelle calls its phones “certified pre-owned”, not refurbished: each passes a 55-point inspection and is reset. Its grades of Excellent, Good and Fair are cosmetic, and every phone is guaranteed fully working. Returns run 30 days. Product pages show a “1-Year Warranty” badge, and the same pages sell the one-year protection plan as a $49.99 extra, so ask before you count on it. Its pages state no battery minimum.
What refurbished costs against new
Maker and Gazelle prices are exact. Amazon’s change often, so those are rounded.
| Phone | Refurbished by the maker | Amazon Renewed, around | Gazelle, Good grade | New |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Pixel 8a 128GB | $339 | $280 | $199.99 | $499 originally, says Google |
| Samsung Galaxy S25 128GB | $599 | $435 to $460 | $412.99, out of stock | $799.99, out of stock |
| Apple iPhone 15 Plus 128GB | $659 | $420 | $401.99 | No longer sold by Apple |
| Apple iPhone 16 Plus 128GB | $749 | $590 | $592.99 | No longer sold by Apple |
Samsung’s Re-Newed S25 is $200.99 under its own new price, about 25%. Amazon’s is roughly another $150 lower. Apple’s refurbished iPhone 15 Plus costs about $240 more than Amazon’s Renewed one, and that $240 is the price of a new battery, a new shell and nine more months of cover.
Google Pixel 8a (Renewed) on Amazon, Samsung Galaxy S25 (Renewed) on Amazon, iPhone 15 Plus (Renewed) on Amazon
Refurbished, renewed, certified or used
Refurbished has no fixed meaning. Gazelle quotes a dictionary: made to look new again by work such as painting, repairing and cleaning. At Apple it means a new battery and shell. On Back Market it can mean compatible parts.
Renewed is Amazon’s label for refurbished goods sold under its guarantee, so in principle the two are the same. Re-Newed is Samsung’s brand for phones it refurbishes itself. Certified means whoever uses the word did the checking: Apple, Samsung and Google certify their own phones, and Gazelle certifies its inspection.
Used promises the least. Amazon’s used grades run from “Like New” down to “Acceptable”, which it describes as fairly worn but working. Those descriptions mention no testing and no battery minimum, where a refurbished phone has been tested and comes with a stated warranty or guarantee.
Checks to run inside the return period
You have 14 days at Apple, 15 at Samsung and Google, 30 at Back Market and Gazelle, and 90 on most Amazon Renewed listings.
- Carrier lock. On an iPhone, Apple says to open Settings, General, About and look for “No SIM restrictions” beside Carrier Lock. On any phone, find the IMEI and run it through your network’s own checker. The page on Unlocked phones names the three big US checkers.
- Account locks. A refurbished iPhone should open on the Hello screen. Apple says not to take a used iPhone that shows “iPhone Locked to Owner” or asks for a previous owner’s Apple Account. On Android, Google says a reset phone that asks for an account you cannot give cannot be used at all. If setup asks for someone else’s Google or Samsung account, send it back. Our Samsung factory reset guide explains those locks.
- Battery. iPhone: Settings, Battery, Battery Health shows maximum capacity. Pixel 8a and later: Settings, Battery, Battery health shows Normal or Reduced. Samsung: the Samsung Members app has a Battery status test under Diagnostics. Hold the result against the seller’s promise.
- Parts. An iPhone that has been repaired lists Parts and Service History under Settings, General, About, with each part marked Genuine, Used or Unknown.
