It’s a GiftCheaper, sometimes close to new and far from being obsolete, the refurbished smartphone could be a hit at the foot of the tree Refurbished smartphones: what you need to know before buying — 20 Minutes
- The second-hand market is in vogue and growing in the world of high-tech.
- Economic and environmental considerations plead more and more for the second-hand purchase, especially for smartphones nes.
- Between market places and refurbishers, offers are raining down at the end of the year, enough to prepare a clever Christmas gift, provided you follow certain rules when purchasing.
Clothing, objects, and tech products: never has the second hand been so well worn! A real trend, accelerated by a delicate economic context, but also a desire to more and more assertive many buyers to ensure; the environment, by offering some equipment a second life. With the approach of the Christmas holidays, it is the refurbishers of smartphones who are expecting record sales. Do you want to put a second-hand iPhone or Samsung Galaxy (the best-selling references) under the tree? “20 Minutes” gives you the keys to this market, gives you its tips and warns you against the pitfalls. Avoid.
A real phenomenon
Offer a refurbished smartphone to Christmas? While a few years ago, many did not dare to consider it (probably for fear of offering a second-hand device, or even “being stingy”), the idea has since largely made its way. Sign of the times? Yes: the market is structured and now has a real history, and the era is more than ever for savings and good plans. For their part, the environmental considerations of consumers are changing. Result: 37% of French people say they have already bought a refurbished smartphone*
CertiDeal applies 32 checkpoints on smartphones before resale. – Christophe Séfrin/20 Minutes
Thus, while the market of new smartphones stagnated in 2021 (-3.6 % in volume), that of refurbished terminals exploded by more than 36%, representing 16% of total sales volumes, according to the Gfk. And it’s during the holiday season that refurbishers do most of their “business”.
Get started on Black Friday
“We are clearly attacking the strongest period of the year,” enthuses Laure Cohen, co-founder of CertiDeal. “As for the market, new, we are preparing to sales peaks multiplied by three during the next month”, confirms David Mignot, co-founder of YesYes. For these two French reconditioners, Black Friday will kick off the big annual sales, with the wait-and-see attitude of buyers becoming more and more significant before November 25th. This is indeed the “official” Black Friday, the big annual sale, and its many promotions, especially in the world of tech. Sale more than ever acclaimed by “Generation Z”: 92 % of 15-25 year olds take advantage of Black Friday to make purchases, including 71 % to buy Christmas gifts to reduced price**!
Apple and Samsung lead the way
Observation: at Apart from Apple and Samsung smartphones, few brands have a voice in the world of refurbished smartphones. And again, the iPhone would monopolize 80 % of sales there, approximately. “We don’t see much of Huawei or Oppo, some models of which are popular. As for Xiaomi (the third largest seller of smartphones in the world and in France, according to Canalys), the price of new ones remains relatively accessible”, notes Laure Cohen.
It would therefore not necessarily be interesting to buy a refurbished Xiaomi. Nevertheless, we have flushed out refurbished Xiaomi Mi 11s sold for 349 euros in 256 GB (compared to 495 euros, their current price when new) on Smaaart, another French refurbisher, which favors short circuits. You can find more on BackMarket, which is a marketplace. and which brings together refurbishers from all over the world. A criterion to be check before you buy, if you don’t want to impact your carbon footprint too much… According to a recent study***, in 2022, 45% of buyers of refurbished smartphones are motivated by the more ecological aspect of their approach. That’s 11% more than in 2021! Encouraging.
Three years of age for the best vintages
The market; is therefore derivedby products that are expensive to buy. the origin. And by products that are about three years old. Thus, at the time when newer smartphones, like the iPhone 14, only evolve at the same time. technically, the terminals which, yesterday, were at the top of techno, paradoxically remain very competitive. Examples?
The iPhone 11 would be, according to David Mignot of YesYes, “the super value for money of the moment”. Launched to 809 euros at the end of 2019, we find it sold at 389 euros in refurbished (64 GB). For smaller budgets, Laure Cohen recommends the iPhone XR, which can be found at a little less than 300 euros in 64 GB. Even if it is older (five years), the very good plan at Apple remains the iPhone 8, sold around 150 euros in 64 GB, against 809 euros to its launch. Beware: Older iPhones are no longer compatible with iOS 16 and may have trouble connecting. run some applications. An iPhone 8 may therefore seem ideal for the first equipment of a teenager, even if it is advisable to compare different models by checking in particular what is called their “ ;cosmetic grade”. On the refurbisher’s site, the latter determines the appearance of the product, with the possibility of micro-scratches, stains, possible visible impacts, etc. (Read inset).
Samsung cheaper
from Samsung, it’s the Galaxy S10 that looks like a very good deal if you want to stick to your budget. Launched 3 years ago (like the iPhone 11), it is now 70% cheaper than when it was launched: around 259 euros, compared to 909 euros in 128 GB.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 is sold 60% as refurbished. than when it was launched. – CHRISTOPHE SEFRIN/20 MINUTES
More recent (2020), the Galaxy S20 emerges, it has About 369 euros, or 60 % cheaper than the price of new in 128 GB ! Where it will be noted that the prices of old Samsung smartphones are deteriorating more quickly than those of its eternal rival. the apple… A logic to that: Apple hardly touches the price of its new smartphones during their life cycle, while those of Samsung evolve at the same time. the decline over time. The first iPhone 14s start at just arrived refurbished (from 889 euros). A boon for buyers, according to David Mignot a slice of dream ” price broken.
* Ifop survey for Smaaart, carried out among 1,201 people from October 3 to 6, 2022.
** Opinion Way survey for Clearpay, conducted among 525 people from October 5 to 7, 2022.
*** Happydemics survey, for YesYes, conducted among 1,018 people from August 5 to 13, 2022.
Buy well
If you want to make a successful purchase of a refurbished smartphone, a few rules must be followed. First choose between a refurbisher (CertiDeal, YesYes, Smaaart…) and marketplaces (BackMarket, Amazon…). And if possible a French reconditioner. In the event of a problem, it will be easier to return a defective smartphone to a French refurbisher than to a Chinese refurbisher… Check the warranty offered. From 6 months until some time ago, it varies from 12 to 24 months depending on the refurbishers.
And check what it covers, especially with regard to the battery. Control the appearance of the coveted product, its “aesthetic grade”. Finally, check what accessories are provided. Charging pad? Charging cable? Listeners ? For iPhone, MFI (Made for iPhone) approved accessories are optimized.