A refurbished phone can be a great option for your pocket if you want to save money, but you are not ready to give up certain features that a high-performance smartphone has.

And the increasing availability of pre-owned devices that have passed the technical inspection is all the more pleasing, since the price of a newly released phone today exceeds 1,000 euros.

After all, who says you can’t enjoy performance for a lot less? For example, the iPhone 11, a phone that appeared on the market three years ago, today costs a little more than 2,000 lei* in the updated version with 128 GB of internal memory. Basically, we’re talking about half the money you’d spend if you invested in the iPhone 14.

iPhone 11 Pro, the price of an even more powerful version with 256 GB of built-in memory, does not even reach the threshold of 2,500 lei*. Therefore, they are kept in approximately the same price parameters. And if we want to look at the competition, Samsung offers a series of the best specifications of the Galaxy S20 model, a phone released in 2020, with 128 GB and 8 GB of RAM. Today, this device in refurbished condition costs only 1,899 lei*.

But the good news does not end there. In addition to the savings you can get if you choose a refurbished phone instead of a new one, this decision will bring you closer to the idea of ​​ecology. Buying used devices that look and work like new extends their life by keeping them out of the landfill.

In addition, you can contribute to a significant reduction in carbon emissions, one of the main environmental problems of recent years. Research shows that buying a refurbished phone instead of a new one saves an average of 45 kilograms of CO2 emissions and 34-40 kilograms of raw materials.

Does that sound great to you? This means that you may be interested in learning more about the process of buying a refurbished phone. In order to make your experience as good as possible, we have prepared in the following lines some details that we recommend you pay attention to when you want to buy a used phone.

Check what you are going to buy

Even if you go to a recognized platform for selling and buying used phones, you should check what a “refurbished phone” actually means. What processes has the device undergone? What parts were checked and what tests could ensure that you are investing in a phone that will serve you for many years?

That’s because, for example, the refurbished iPhones Apple sells online and in some of its stores are refurbished using replacement parts used in newer models. Or at least that’s what the American company claims. It promises that the phones will come with a like-new battery, but also come with a one-year warranty from the date of purchase.

Samsung uses similar standards for the refurbished phones it sells, with a new battery and 12-month warranty.

You will enjoy the same conditions for phones from Flip.ro, where you get a one-year warranty on any model you order and where the average battery health percentage of devices sold on the platform in the last year is 94%.

However, not all sellers of refurbished phones can achieve this level of quality, so it is better not to buy smartphones that are not certified in any way.

If you have not been given any information regarding the device inspection and the restoration process, it will be best for you and your budget to refer it to a seller that meets the standards you are looking for. However, it’s a serious investment and we’re sure you didn’t intend to keep your dream phone for just a few months.

The presence of a protective net is mandatory

And when we say security, we mean benefits that will get you your money back. This is just in case you change your mind.

Of course, we discuss the possibility of returning the ordered goods in a situation where you cannot pay for them, understand that they are too much or too little for your needs, or you simply decide to abandon the device you received and want a refund .

Also in this section, it may be useful to know that few companies that can offer you a good price for a device that has become as useful today as a phone have the advantage of checking the package after delivery.

If you decide to buy a used phone from some website or from an ad posted on a general platform, unfortunately, today the risks of getting something else in the package are very high.

Therefore, while waiting for a new phone, familiarize yourself with the return policy of the company to which you decide to make a money transfer to avoid possible further inconveniences.

Look for profitable payment methods

Another plus when it comes to being a serious phone repair and sales company that you can order your next device from is the variety of payment methods that you can turn to.

If you have your eye on a smartphone, but don’t have a serious budget to buy it outright, you can use the installment option. And the big advantage, as we said above, is that you can be sure that you have found a safe place to buy your future phone.

A company for which seriousness is not a guiding value will not be able to offer you this option, which is very attractive to you, especially if you need a new phone in the shortest possible time. These are the main criteria that we recommend you be guided by in the process of purchasing a new phone.

This will help you avoid scams and potential online criminals.

*prices valid at the time of writing for the specified models on the Flip.ro website.