Apple is about to unleash its new iPhone 14 range, with pre-orders open right now. However, if spending over £1,000 on a smartphone sounds like too much for your credit card to cope with don’t panic. Despite Apple delisting four older and cheaper handsets from its official online store – the iPhone 11, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max – there’s good news as there are still a number of ways you can buy them and it won’t cost a fortune.
If you want to purchase your iPhone directly from Apple then you can still get the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 11 from the official Apple Store, as long as you’re happy with a refurbished handset.
Refurbished handsets – like brand new iPhones – come with a one-year warranty, with Certified Refurbished iPhones fitted with a new battery and outer shell. Plus, all devices under the Apple refurbished banner undergo rigorous testing to make sure everything is in good order.
But one of the best things about refurbished Apple products, if you’re being careful with money, is you can enjoy savings of up to 15 percent off the products’ typical price The iPhone 12 mini, which launched in the UK for £699 back in 2020, is available right now from £459 when you pick up a refurbished phone.
With the iPhone 14, Apple no longer offers a mini phone that you can use in one hand so if you’re looking for a smaller iOS handset this iPhone 12 mini deal is a great option. Apple also sells refurbished iPhone 11 handsets, but – at the time of writing – only the 256GB model is available which is priced at £499.
Want to know more about the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro? You can read our full reviews below
• Apple iPhone 14 REVIEW
• Apple iPhone 14 Pro REVIEW
Unfortunately, Apple currently doesn’t sell refurbished iPhone 13 devices – so if you were looking for a refurbished iPhone 13 Pro or Pro Max at a great price on the Apple store you’re out of luck.
Apple does, however, have refurbished iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max handsets – with these beginning from £689 and £779 respectively. Just bear in mind that the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro range doesn’t include the new pill-shaped notch and Dynamic Island found on this year’s iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
But these are still great smartphones, with Express.co.uk awarding the iPhone 12 Pro Max a five out of five star rating in our review last year.
If you had your heart set on an iPhone 13 Pro though you can still turn to other retailers who offer refurbished Apple flagships from last year.
One retailer that does this is giffgaff, who is selling a refurbished iPhone 13 Pro Max for £969.
This is for the 256GB model and giffgaff also offers a 24-month warranty for added piece of mind.
Alternatively, musicMagpie also sells the iPhone 13 Pro Max refurbished, with prices varying depending on the condition of the handset.
Both musicMagpie and giffgaff also sell a range of other iPhone models from different generations in its refurbished section. Besides saving money, there’s one good reason to think of getting a refurbished phone over a brand new one.
If you care about the environment and sustainability getting a refurbished piece of tech over a brand new device is good for the environment.
That’s because all the energy that was used to create the device has already been extended, while material that is needed for making the product – such as raw materials like cobalt – have already been mined.
So there’s no need to source these materials again or use electricity to make these gadgets from scratch, which helps towards being kinder to the environment and helps with the supply chain too.