In 2019 for the first time ever refurbished devices out sold new devices. Brand new devices have now seen six consecutive quarters of declining sales. Many more people are choosing to buy refurbished devices, including iPhones, due to the four figure price tags often associated with the latest models. Furthermore, refurbished devices are becoming more widely recognised, understood and accepted.
Two year old flagship models (for example the iPhone X) that originally retailed for north of one thousand pounds pack the same technology as the latest “mid-range’ smart phone releases (iPhone 11), this is another reason behind the growth of refurbished and its increasing appeal.
All of the aforementioned come second to value for money, this is the number one reason customers are choosing refurbished iPhones, iPads, smart watches and other reconditioned devices over brand new alternatives. Coupling this with a one year warranty (at The iOutlet we offer a free 365 day warranty with every refurbished device sold) gives the customer a solid sense of security and very few reasons to not at least consider a refurbished device when it’s time to upgrade. Furthermore the flexibility of owning a handset outright (as touched upon in a previous article) and having a SIM only contract is another big tick in the box for buying a refurbished device, particularly when it comes to refurbished iPhones.
What to expect for the refurbished market in 2020
Moving into 2020 we can expect to see similar priced new releases to those of 2019 – a continuation of high end devices with a hefty price tag to match. Therefore it is expected that demand and popularity will naturally increase as the refurbished industry continues to mature and transition to one of the most popular buying choices for modern tech. When drilling down into the trending models for 2020 it is predicted that the first three quarters of the year will be dominated by the refurbished iPhone 8 (learn more about the cost of a refurbished iPhone 8 here) and X series. However, moving into Autumn 2020 we will see the iPhone 11 and Pro hit the 1 year milestone, this combined with Apple’s typical annual release and updates will trigger the trade-in rush and ultimately mark the starting point of the refurbished iPhone 11 market, just in time for Christmas.
Nowadays, consumers don’t have to run the risk of peer to peer trading on the popular auction sites, instead they have company’s like The iOutlet offering a vast variety of the latest tech all with a 1 year warranty. This makes the decision to choose a refurbished iPhone or other refurbished devices a lot easier than previous years. Moving into 2020 this trend will continue to grow and refurbished will continue to become more of a mainstream option when upgrading your phone, whether that’s an iPhone, Samsung or Huawei or something else…
