There are two main differences between a new device and a refurbished product: price and cosmetic condition.

The main difference between a new and a refurbished product is its price (up to 90% cheaper).Refurbished Apple products are 100% functional, and all components work like new. A refurbished device was either pre-owned or used as a display item. However, refurbished products go through the same testing process as new devices do, so any defect is found and repaired, and any faulty part is replaced. They work as well as new products but have a discounted price because of their refurb tag.

Aside from price, a possible difference between new and refurbished products is their cosmetic condition. Note that this solely concerns the cosmetic appearance of the device since a refurb is thoroughly cleaned. There are 3 levels of refurbished cosmetic condition you can choose fromGrade A (Excellent), Grade B (Good), and Grade C (Fair). Depending on your choice, you will get a more or less perfect-looking device.

If your new Apple device breaks and Apple gives you a replacement, you're getting a refurbished device. That’s right; you literally can’t tell the difference between new and refurb in this case. Apple refurbishes its own products and classes them as excellent (Grade A).

We have curated an article on New vs Used vs Refurbished products where we explain the difference in detail. You can check out the article here.

A refurbished device is a product that was either pre-owned or used as a display model.
Refurbished products are returned to working condition and sold for a reduced price. Sometimes they are called refurbed, reconditioned, or remanufactured.

Refurbished products are different from used products because they are sold by professional refurbishers from whom you can expect:

RefurbMe is totally free to use. We operate as a comparison site for products sold by many professional e-commerce retailers.

When you complete your order, we get a commission from the merchant where you got the product (through an affiliate marketing partnership).

We don’t sell nor share your email and we do not store any payment information since the purchase is made directly on the refurbisher website.

Refurbished Apple products usually come with a warranty, but every refurbisher offers a different policy. To avoid any bad surprises, make sure that you:

Some sellers allow you to upgrade the refurbished device's warranty period for an extra cost, so you can enjoy your Apple product worry-free for as long as possible.

RefurbMe gathers the warranty information of several different refurbishers for you. You can compare the resellers' warranty policies directly on RefurbMe in order to make an informed decision. In any case, we only feature products that come with a minimum warranty of 30 days.

If you're looking at a particular product, you can find the specific warranty information next to the seller's name. If that's unclear, you can always check the terms of the warranty by clicking on 'More details' underneath the seller's name.

Refurbished products are good not only for the wallet but also for the planet: giving these devices a new life allows you to avoid disposal and electronic waste, giving a strong boost to the circular economy ♻️.

On top of that, you get the ease of mind with a warranty and return policy as you'd expect from a new product.

The right to repair mouvement is rising to enforce a more sustainable way to consume electronic articles. We wrote a full piece about it and why it matters.