Buying refurbished phones is easier on your pocket and the environment, according to Newstalk tech correspondent Jess Kelly.
On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Jess said there are “quite a few benefits” to buying refurbished devices – not least the savings on offer.
“Refurbished is a device that has been set back to factory settings, completely wiped of any previous user settings and brought back to a really high standard to ensure it’s as good a device you can get.
“There are plenty of these retailers out there offering it but it is very important to note that, when we’re talking about refurbished, we don’t just mean second hand, we mean phones that have been brought back as if you are buying them brand-new for the first time.”
She said you can save around 40% on the price of a new phone by buying refurbished.
“You can go out and get an iPhone 12 or an iPhone 10 for a fraction of the cost,” she said. “We are seeing more and more of these retailers opening up here in Ireland.
“Not only is it cheaper but it is better for the environment – and they do last as well.”
Refurbished
She said all good retailers will offer a one-year warranty on refurbished devices.
“That means that although the phone may have been used before, if anything goes wrong during that 12-month period - be it battery, screen issues or whatever – they’ll support you.
“So, I do think if you are someone who likes technology but doesn’t want to spend a grand on smartphone and are environmentally aware as well, this is the way to go.”
Contracts
Jess said the savings can also help you break away from long-term mobile contracts.
“If you don’t want to sign up to a 12 or 24-month contract just to get a fancy new phone, you can move to one of the digital networks that cost les than €15 a month, buy a phone outright for around €300 and then you owe nothing to nobody,” she said.
“It is breaking away form those contracts and those heavy costs but still getting a really good device that will have a good battery, great camera and so on.”
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