A growing share of the deals we track are for refurbished handsets, and on a two-year-old flagship the saving over new can be substantial. The catch is that there is no industry-wide standard for describing condition. Each retailer has its own words, and they do not line up.
The labels you will see
- Grade A / Excellent / Pristine / Like new — no visible marks at arm's length; may have very faint signs of use under close inspection.
- Grade B / Good / Very good — light scratches or scuffs on the body, screen unmarked or nearly so.
- Grade C / Fair / Acceptable — visible wear on the body, possibly light marks on the screen. Works perfectly; looks used.
- Pre-owned — simply means it has had a previous owner. On its own this tells you nothing about condition, so look for a grade alongside it.
- Good as new — a marketing phrase, usually equivalent to Grade A, but check the retailer's own definition.
On this site we show the retailer's own wording on the deal card (for example "Pre-owned, Grade C") rather than translating it, and you can filter any phone's deals to new only or refurbished only.
What matters more than cosmetics
- Battery health. This is the single biggest quality difference between refurbishers. Good ones replace batteries below a threshold (often 80–85% of original capacity) or state the health up front. If it is not mentioned, ask.
- Warranty. Twelve months is common from the larger retailers and networks; some offer more. Anything under six months is a warning sign.
- Returns window. You have 14 days to cancel most distance purchases in the UK regardless, but a longer no-quibble window shows confidence.
- Network lock and blacklist check. Reputable refurbishers sell unlocked handsets and check the IMEI against the stolen-phone database. A network-branded retailer's refurb will work on that network but may still be locked.
- What is in the box. Often no charger and sometimes no cable; not a problem, just budget for it.
When refurbished is the smart buy
Last year's flagship in Grade A or B is usually the sweet spot: near-identical to new in daily use, still years of software updates ahead of it, and priced well below the current model. Grade C is fine for a phone that lives in a case anyway. Where it makes less sense is on a budget handset — the saving over new is small in cash terms and the battery is likely to be the first thing to go.
To see what is available, open any phone page and set the condition filter to refurbished only, or start from all refurbished contract deals.