Refurbished phone grades explained: what Like New and Good actually mean

The dirty secret of the refurbished market is that condition grades are not standardised. One seller's 'excellent' is another's 'good'; a third invents 'pristine A+' and lets you guess. The grade on the listing is a promise — and a promise is only worth as much as the definition behind it.

So we published ours. Our Device Grading Guide defines four grades, applied by a technician against one checklist — and we only ever sell the top two. Here's what each one actually commits us to.

Like New: effectively a new phone

Like New means the handset is effectively brand new — unsealed but unused, or showing no signs of use whatsoever. The display is flawless: no scratches, marks or blemishes of any kind. The housing is flawless too — no scuffs, dents or marks on the case, buttons, rear glass or camera lens. Excellent battery health, 100% OEM parts, never modified, jailbroken or rooted, no liquid damage.

In practice, a Like New phone is indistinguishable from a boxed one. You are paying the used price for the new experience — which is precisely why they sell fastest.

Good: honest, light wear at a better price

Good means fully functional and free from any physical damage or faults, with only light scratches permitted on the display — no cracks, no dead pixels, no screen burn, no discolouration. The housing is in good condition with no chips, cracks or delamination, and the phone must have OEM parts, good battery health, and working biometrics and NFC throughout.

The difference between our grades is cosmetic, never functional. A Good phone works identically to a Like New one — you simply save more for tolerating marks you'll likely cover with a case on day one.

The two grades we refuse to sell

Our guide also defines Poor (fully working but heavy cosmetic wear, tired battery) and Faulty (functional faults, modifications, engravings). These exist purely for trade-in valuations — we buy them, refurbish what's economical, and recycle the rest. They never appear in the shop.

That line matters. Plenty of marketplaces happily list 'fair' or 'acceptable' stock, and that's where refurbished horror stories come from: batteries at 78%, screens with pressure marks, phones that technically work and practically disappoint. If we wouldn't put it in our own pocket, it doesn't go on the site.

How to use grades when buying anywhere

Wherever you buy, apply three tests. One: is the grade defined in writing, in detail, somewhere you can read before purchase? Two: is battery health stated as a number, not an adjective? Three: does the warranty cover the phone regardless of grade? A seller that passes all three is taking the risk for you. A seller that fails any of them is asking you to take it.