I always bought new phones. Not the expensive flagships, but always brand new with that sealed box and plastic cover on the screen. Being the first owner felt right to me. This habit cost me too much money over the years. More than I want to calculate because it would just depress me.
How Things Changed
My phone died eighteen months ago after a bad software update. I needed a replacement immediately, but payday was two weeks away and my bank account looked sad.
My colleague Priya mentioned she bought a refurbished phone months back and it worked perfectly. I said yeah but refurbished though? with that judgmental tone. Like refurbished was somehow dirty.
She laughed at me. It still gives me a brief about it.
My Wrong Assumptions
I couldn’t explain where this idea came from. Nobody explicitly told me refurbished phones were bad. I just absorbed this notion that new equals better. Marketing does that – all those ads showing pristine devices in perfect white rooms.
But I was broke and needed a phone, so I asked Priya where she got hers. She sent me a link. I spent that evening scrolling through options feeling skeptical.
The prices were attractive. My main worry was quality. What if the battery was terrible? What if the screen had dead pixels? What if it stopped working after two weeks? I convinced myself these horror stories would definitely happen.
Taking the Risk
Waiting after ordering was torture. The device arrives completely broken. Works for two days then dies. Has someone else’s data still on it. My brain went to weird places.
Actually more than fine – looked basically new. I kept waiting for the catch. Nothing happened.
Used it cautiously the first week, constantly testing it. Checking battery performance, making sure calls connected, seeing if apps crashed. Everything was normal. It was just a working phone that cost significantly less than buying new.
I felt stupid about all that anxiety.
The Conversion Moment
About a month in, I’d completely forgotten this phone was refurbished. It was just my phone. Worked exactly like any other phone I’d owned, maybe better than my previous new phone that developed problems after a year.
The real conversion happened when my friend Rahul complained about needing to upgrade but not having the budget for the model he wanted. Without thinking, I immediately suggested checking refurbished options. Then realized what I’d done and laughed.
Here I was, Mr. New Phones Only, actively recommending refurbished devices. Priya was so proud. Definitely said I told you so multiple times.
I started doing math on what I’d spent on phones over five years versus what I could’ve spent buying refurbished. That’s a decent vacation. Or several months rent. Or many good meals I didn’t have because I was spending extra for no benefit but what really got me was quality.
What Refurbished Actually Means
Refurbished doesn’t just mean a used phone someone returned. There’s a whole process. Good refurbished devices go through quality checks, parts get replaced if needed, everything’s tested to ensure it works correctly.
The platform I bought from – Ovantica, which I keep using – does a 47-point quality check. They’re checking everything from battery health to screen functionality to whether buttons work properly. Anything not meeting their standards gets replaced.
So basically, you’re getting a phone that works like new, might have minor cosmetic imperfections you probably won’t notice, but costs significantly less because it’s not in fancy new packaging with accessories.
Speaking of accessories – most refurbished phones don’t come with original ones, which initially bothered me. Then I realized I have fifteen charging cables and eight power adapters lying around from previous phones. Did I really need another? Not really.
But decent refurbishment processes include battery replacement if health is below a certain threshold. My phone’s battery has been fine, charges fast and lasts as long as I’d expect.
The Money I Saved
What did I do with the money saved? Part went into regular expenses because I was broke – that was the point. But I managed to put about 10,000 into my emergency fund, which felt responsible.
Next time I bought a phone – got one for my mom because hers was falling apart – I went refurbished again. She wanted an iPhone because she’s in that Apple ecosystem.
The phone works perfectly, looks good, does everything she needs. She’s happy and I didn’t drain my savings buying an overpriced new phone.
Used that saved money to take my partner out for a nice anniversary dinner. Much better use of money than spending extra for no reason.
Worries That Never Happened
Remember all that anxiety? Basically none of those concerns materialized. Here’s what I worried about versus reality:
Worry: Battery would be terrible and die super fast.
Reality: Battery works completely fine. Gets me through a full day, charges at normal speed. Can’t tell the difference from new.
Worry: Screen would have issues – dead pixels, discoloration, weird lines.
Reality: Screen is perfect. Colors look good, touch response fine, no dead pixels. One tiny scratch I literally never noticed.
Worry: Phone would have performance issues, lag, apps crashing.
Reality: Runs smooth. No lag, apps work normally, games run fine.
Worry: Something would break shortly after buying.
Reality: Eighteen months later, everything still works perfectly.
Worry: Would feel like using someone else’s phone.
Reality: After setup it’s just my phone. Doesn’t feel refurbished at all.
I’d built up all these potential problems based on nothing except assumptions and prejudices about refurbished devices. Classic overthinking about things that weren’t going to happen.
My partner still teases me about how stressed I was. She was right to find it funny – it was ridiculous in hindsight.
Why I’m Not Going Back
Just doesn’t make financial sense, and I haven’t found any actual downside to buying refurbished.
The way I see it now – phones depreciate crazy fast anyway. That new phone loses a huge chunk of value the moment you open the box. Someone else already took that depreciation hit, so why not benefit from it? I’m getting essentially the same device for significantly less money.
There’s also the wastefulness of always buying new things that bothers me now.
A Samsung S20 does the same things whether new or refurbished.
I’ve recommended refurbished phones to probably a dozen people. Some took the advice, some didn’t – still too attached to buying new.
Final Thoughts
If you want that brand new experience and price doesn’t bother you, go for it.
But if you’re like me – someone who wants a good phone without spending more than necessary – refurbished is definitely worth considering. Especially if you’ve been avoiding it because of some vague notion that refurbished means inferior quality.
It was just realizing I was paying extra for basically nothing. Same device, same experience, significantly lower price.
Get a refurbished phone from a reliable platform like Ovantica, use it for a few months, see how you feel. Worst case – if you hate it, you can always go back to buying new. But I’d bet that once you realize there’s no real difference except price, you probably won’t want to.