Apple is preparing to raise iPhone prices in the coming months. CEO Tim Cook told The Wall Street Journal this week that climbing memory costs, driven by AI’s demand for the same chips, have made the move necessary. For years, Apple managed to keep sticker prices steady, likely by absorbing some of the rising component costs on its own, but that cushion now appears to be gone. Having bought and used Apple products for years myself, I think this is the right moment to stop holding out for the newest release and start browsing the used shelf instead.
The savings add up fast
A new iPhone wasn’t cheap even before this newly announced increase, and the gap between new and used has only grown wider. Counterpoint Research analyst Emily Herbert told the Journal that the secondary market is attracting a wider mix of shoppers than it used to, including parents who don’t want to spend close to $2,000 on a phone for a young teenager.
That same calculation works for plenty of adults too. Skipping the latest chip in favor of a refurbished or certified pre-owned model still gets you a phone capable of handling daily use, just at a much lower price, and the appetite for that tradeoff is growing.
Picking a place to buy
Apple runs its own refurbished storefront, and a handful of third-party marketplaces have built reputations worth trusting. Back Market, for instance, only works with professional sellers who go through inventory audits, and it backs purchases with a 30-day return window. Reebelo vets its merchants with background checks and offers 12-month warranties covering hardware and software issues.
Swappa requires sellers to verify listings with photos and serial numbers before they go live. However, founder Ben Edwards has been candid about scammers finding new ways in, including through AI-generated images. Buying through Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, or eBay carries more risk, but sellers with a long track record of strong ratings are generally safe, provided you also understand what separates a safe refurbished purchase from a risky one.
What to check before you commit
Before you pull the trigger on a used iPhone, make sure it’s unlocked and compatible with your carrier, and check how much software support it has left. Newer AI features, including the overhauled Siri experience Apple recently unveiled, will only run on iPhone 15 Pro and later models, so an older phone may keep getting security patches without ever gaining those tools.
You should also check the battery health and examine the phone for any physical damage. Running Apple’s diagnostics mode is another reliable way to spot faulty hardware, since it tests the display, camera, speakers, and other components in just a few minutes.
With iPhone prices unlikely to drop anytime soon as the memory shortage drags on, I’ve stopped thinking of buying used as a fallback. At this point, it’s just the smarter way to shop.