The best refurbished iPhones to buy in 2026, ranked

The best refurbished iPhone is rarely the newest one you can afford. It is the one where price has fallen furthest below usefulness — and in 2026 that curve has three clear sweet spots.

Best overall value: iPhone 14 and 14 Pro

The 14 series hits the 2026 sweet spot: modern design, superb cameras, years of iOS support ahead, and prices from around £240 for the 14 and £340 for the 14 Pro in excellent condition. The Pro is the pick if you care about photography — the 48MP main sensor and ProMotion display were the generation's real leap — but the standard 14 at this price is the smart default for most people.

Best budget pick: iPhone 12 and 13

From around £140 (iPhone 12) and £215 (iPhone 13), these remain remarkably complete phones: OLED screens, excellent cameras, 5G, and continuing iOS updates. The 13 is meaningfully better than the 12 — bigger battery, brighter screen — and worth the extra where budget allows. For a first phone, a teenager, or anyone who refuses to spend £500 on a slab of glass, this tier is unbeatable.

Best premium refurb: iPhone 15 Pro and 16 Pro

If you want a phone that feels current for years — titanium build, USB-C, Apple Intelligence support — the 15 Pro from around £440 and the 16 Pro from around £560 deliver the flagship experience at a 30–40% discount to new. These are the models where buying refurbished feels almost unfair.

The spec that matters more than the model: storage

A 128GB phone you love beats a 64GB phone you fight with every week. Photos, videos and apps only grow; storage cannot be added later. Our rule: 128GB minimum for everyone, 256GB if you shoot a lot of video. The £30–£50 premium for the higher tier is the best-value upgrade in the entire spec sheet.

What to check before you buy any refurb

Four non-negotiables: a stated battery health figure (ours is on every listing), a diagnostic test against the industry standard (every phone we sell is verified through our Phonecheck partnership), a clear returns window, and honest cosmetic grading. If a listing is missing any of the four, the discount is not a discount; it is the price of your risk.