It’s getting to that time of year when you’re holding off on any major tech purchases, because Black Friday is just around the corner. You likely already know what brand you want, so the more difficult question is one of finding the right model, tracking prices, and knowing what’s a good deal when you eventually see one.
Back Market is the leading option when it comes to verified refurbished electronics. Its Black Friday Deals are becoming legendary, because not only do they leverage the seasonal sale, but they can take advantage of phones being refurbished. That’s two drivers of price slashing. So, their headline prices are impressive, even with the newer models.
The iPhones worth comparing
Two models cover most of this year’s upgrades. A refurbished iPhone 16, as it stands in September, starts from £499. Brand new, it’s £699 in most outlets. A refurbished iPhone 15 Pro starts from £410, or is £587 for “excellent” condition – that’s around 20% to 30% cheaper than buying new outright.
Both are inside Back Market’s iPhone Black Friday selection. While pricing is model-dependent, we can expect prices to be slashed even further. There will also be Black Friday deals on new iPhones elsewhere, but the bottom-line price cannot compete with refurbished deals.
Where Samsung comes in
For those preferring Android, Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra is around £749.99 brand new, or £535 to £685 refurbished, depending on condition. Again, we can expect Black Friday deals to suppress both of these even more. If you’re on a budget but want the famous telescope lens, the Galaxy S22 Ultra can be picked up for well under £300 refurbished.
What “refurbished” guarantees
Refurbished isn’t a fancy way of saying used – they’re different. When buying from a refurbished shop, they should guarantee the quality with rigorous testing and standardised categories. This means testing the battery to see how much it has degraded, if at all, and pricing accordingly. Components can include a combination of original and replacement parts, with devices cleaned, reconfigured and, in some cases, fitted with a new screen, battery or other component.
How to choose between them
Once the condition risk is no longer a concern due to the grading and warranty, the decision between an iPhone 16, an iPhone 15 Pro and a Galaxy S25 Ultra is more about value for money (and ecosystem) than pure trust. Like cars, you pay a premium for the latest model, and depreciation is front-loaded. So, the iPhone 15 Pro is the cheapest of the three, despite its Pro status. There comes a point where, if you go too old, you have fewer years of guaranteed software updates.
The case besides the price
The French Environment and Energy Management Agency ran the first large-scale, independent life-cycle study of refurbished tech (it wasn’t commissioned or funded by Back Market). The results found that refurbished smartphones and computers slash environmental impact by 64% to 87% – making it a much greener way to acquire your next phone. So much perfectly usable tech ends up in landfills, simply because one component stopped working. The circular economy, particularly in times of high inflation and low growth, is becoming a core part of our broader economy.
This content is for information and entertainment purposes only. Always do your own research before making any online purchase.