The best refurbished phone for everyday use in 2026 (and where Samsung wins over iPhone)

The best refurbished phone for most people in 2026 is a refurbished iPhone 13, around $250. It's fast, the cameras are good, and Apple will keep it on the latest iOS through 2027, with security patches well beyond that.³ For that money, you get a phone that feels current and stays current for years.

That's the answer. The rest of this guide is when something else is the better call. We've split it by the two systems, Apple and Android, because the smartest move is usually to stay on the one you already use. Pick your side, and within each we run the same ladder: the one we'd pick for most people, when to step up, when it's worth stretching to a near-new phone, and the cheaper option if money is tight.

A note before we start: we don't sell phones, and we don't take payment to push one over another. We match you to what fits the way you use a phone, then point you to the lowest price we can find across our partners. Here's how that works.

Why refurbished phones make more sense than ever in 2026

New phone prices have climbed. A global memory shortage pushed the cost of the chips inside every device up sharply through 2025, and phone makers passed that on. A new flagship now runs past $800 easily, and the cheap-but-decent new phone has mostly disappeared.⁶

Refurbished went the other way. A refurbished phone is one that's been returned, traded in, or lightly used, then tested, repaired if needed, cleaned up, and sold with a warranty. You're getting a phone that works like new for a fraction of the new price. A refurbished iPhone 13 costs about half as much as a new one today, and it does almost everything the new one does.

The catch most guides skip: a phone is only worth buying if it'll keep getting software updates. An unsupported phone still turns on, but it stops getting security patches, and over time, apps stop working on it. So the real question isn't just "which phone is cheapest." It's "which phone is cheap and has years of support left?" That's the lens we use for every pick below.

The short version

Buy a refurbished iPhone 13 for around $250. It's fast, the cameras are good, and Apple keeps it updated for years. If you're on Android, the Galaxy S23 (around $235) is the equal pick. Spend $400 to $500, and the iPhone 15 or Galaxy S24 will buy you the longest support runway.

Whichever you pick, check these on the listing:

• Unlocked, and the US version of the phone.
• A physical SIM tray if your carrier doesn't do eSIM (iPhone 13 has one; iPhone 14 and later don't)
• Stated battery health of 85% or higher
• A 12-month warranty and a 30-day return window

We're building a tool to run these checks across our partners and surface the closest fit at the lowest price we can find. Get notified when it's live Notify me when it’s live →

If you're on Apple

If you already use an iPhone, stay on iPhone. Everything you've set up, your photos, your messages, the apps you've paid for, carries straight over. Here's the Apple ladder, from the one most people should buy up to the near-new option, and down to the budget pick.

Our pick: refurbished iPhone 13 (around $250)

Buy the iPhone 13. For most people, it's the phone to get.

Here's the reasoning. It launched in 2021 with Apple's A15 chip, which is still quick enough that you'll never feel it struggle with everyday things: messaging, maps, video calls, social apps, and a few hundred photos. The cameras are genuinely good in daylight and hold up at night. The screen is sharp. The battery gets most people through a day.

The part that matters most is support. The iPhone 13 runs the current version of iOS in 2026 and is on track for major updates through roughly 2027 to 2028, with security patches continuing for years after that.³ Apple has a long track record here. Buy a refurbished 13 today, and you're not buying something near the end of its life. You're buying something with years of runway, at a price that's dropped to around $250.

That combination of low price, real performance, and long support is why we'd pick this one for most people. It's also why Back Market, one of our partners, names the same phone as its top refurbished iPhone for 2026.⁴ We landed on it independently, but it's reassuring to agree.

One practical bonus worth knowing: the iPhone 13 is the last iPhone sold in the US with a physical SIM tray. That makes it the easy choice if your carrier doesn't do eSIM, or if you just like being able to pop a SIM card in and out. More on that lower down.

Step up for battery and night photos: iPhone 14 ($250 to $290)

The iPhone 14 is only a little more than the 13. Refurbished, it starts around the same $250 mark and runs up to roughly $290 depending on storage and condition. For most people, that gap is small enough to think about.

What you get for it: better battery life, a slightly better main camera that does more in low light, and Crash Detection, which calls emergency services if you're in a serious car accident and can't reach your phone. The 14 also launched a year later, so its support window stretches a little further than the 13's, into the 2027 to 2028 range for major updates and beyond for security.

One thing to know before you buy: every iPhone 14 sold in the US is eSIM-only. There's no physical SIM tray at all. For most people on a major US carrier, that's a non-issue, and switching is as easy as a couple of taps. But if your carrier doesn't support eSIM, or you swap SIM cards between phones often, the iPhone 13 is the safer pick.

What you don't get: a dramatically different phone. The 14 uses largely the same core as the 13. Day to day, you would struggle to tell them apart. Nobody needs to upgrade from a 13 to a 14, and if the 14 you're looking at costs $50 or more over a comparable 13, save the difference and buy the 13. The 14 is the better buy only when the price gap is small, and you specifically care about battery and night photos.

Worth stretching for: iPhone 15 ($375 to $400)

If your budget runs to $400, the iPhone 15 is where the extra money buys you real things, not just a higher number. It's the first standard iPhone to switch to USB-C, so it charges with the same cable as most laptops, tablets, and Android phones. No more hunting for a Lightning cable. The main camera is a clear step up from the 14; low-light photos are better, and the longer support runway means it'll comfortably stay current into the early 2030s.

When stretching is worth it: you keep phones for a long time, or you specifically want USB-C so everything charges off one cable. When it isn't: if you replace your phone every two or three years anyway, the iPhone 13 does the same daily job for $150 less, and you won't be around long enough to use up the extra support. Don't pay for runway you won't use.

The budget pick: iPhone 12 or iPhone 11 (under $200)

If $250 is more than you want to spend, a refurbished iPhone 12 or iPhone 11 drops well under $200, and both still run the current iOS in 2026. The 11 is the cheaper of the two and the closest to the end of its support runway, so treat it as a shorter-term buy: a great phone for the next couple of years rather than the next five. The 12 costs a little more and gives you a year or two more headroom.

At this price, the house rule applies: refurbished is almost always a better bet than buying new. A new phone under $200 in 2026 is slow, badly supported, or both. A refurbished iPhone that used to be a flagship will run rings around it.

If you're on Android (where Samsung wins)

If you're already on Android, get a Samsung, and don't switch to an iPhone just because a guide told you to. Switching phone platforms means moving your photos, re-buying some apps, learning a new layout, and losing whatever you've set up. If Android already works for you, stay there. You prefer Samsung's screens, you want more control over how the phone works, or you simply like the way it feels. None of those are wrong reasons. Here's the Samsung ladder.

Our pick: refurbished Galaxy S23 (around $235)

Get the Galaxy S23. Refurbished, it's about $235, slightly cheaper than our iPhone pick, and it's a proper flagship: excellent screen, a camera system that's a genuine match for the iPhone, fast performance, and Samsung's Knox security built in, which is the same hardware-level protection businesses rely on.⁵ It feels like a premium phone because it is one, just a couple of years old. It also keeps a physical SIM tray, which is worth knowing if your carrier doesn't do eSIM.

Here's something the original plan for this guide got wrong, and it's worth being straight about. Two years ago, the Galaxy S22 looked like the obvious budget-Samsung pick. In 2026, it isn't. Samsung has moved the S22 to security-only updates, and its last major Android version has effectively landed, which puts it close to the end of its supported life.² The S23, by contrast, still has its final major update coming and security patches running to around 2028. For a phone you want to keep for years, that difference is the whole game. Buy the S23; skip the S22, even though it may look like a bargain. A bargain that stops getting updates next year isn't one.

Worth stretching for: refurbished Galaxy S24 (around $400)

If your budget runs to $400, the Galaxy S24 is the one to stretch for, and the reason is simple: it's about longevity. Starting with the S24, Samsung commits to seven years of updates.¹ That's the same promise Google makes on Pixels, and it's the longest in the Android world. A refurbished S24 bought today is supported well into the 2030s. It also brings Samsung's Galaxy AI features and a brighter, flatter screen that tends to arrive in better condition than the older curved-edge designs.

When stretching is worth it: you keep phones for a long time and want the longest possible support runway. When it isn't: if you upgrade every couple of years, the S23 does the same daily job for less. Same rule as the Apple side, don't pay for runway you won't use.

The budget pick: refurbished Galaxy A54 (under $200)

If $235 is more than you want to spend, the Galaxy A54 does the everyday job well: solid screen, a camera that's fine for most photos, and a battery that lasts. It isn't a flagship, so it won't feel as fast as the S23 under heavy use, but for calls, messages, browsing, and the usual apps, most people would not notice the difference. As always, at this price, refurbished beats a new phone of the same money.

When a Pixel makes more sense

If you take a lot of photos and want the simplest possible camera that just produces a great shot, look at a refurbished Google Pixel instead of a Samsung. Pixels run a clean version of Android with no extra clutter, and Google's camera software is the best in the business at turning an ordinary photo into a good one with no effort from you. Refurbished, a recent Pixel sits in similar territory to the S23, and Google matches the seven-year update promise on its newer models.¹

A Pixel is the pick when the camera is the thing you care about most and you want stock Android. For everything else, the iPhone 13 and Galaxy S23 are the safer everyday choices.

Before you buy: five things to check

A refurbished phone is a great buy, but a few details decide whether you get a clean experience or a headache. None of these are complicated. Knowing them is the difference between a confident purchase and a returned one. The full version of these checks lives in our [refurbished explainer].

• Make sure it's unlocked. An unlocked phone works with any carrier. A "locked" phone is tied to a single network and can be a pain to switch. Unless you're certain you're staying with the exact carrier the phone is locked to, choose unlocked. The listings we match you to flag this clearly.
• Buy the US version. Phones built for other regions can be missing the cellular bands US carriers use, which means a weaker signal or features that don't work here. Stick to US models. Reputable refurbishers sell the right version for your country by default, which is one reason we route you to vetted partners rather than random marketplace listings.
• Know your SIM situation. US iPhones from the 14 onward are eSIM-only, with no physical SIM slot. The iPhone 13 and most Samsung phones still take a physical SIM card. If your carrier supports eSIM (most big US carriers do), either is fine. If you're not sure or you like swapping a card between phones, choose a phone with a physical tray.
• Check the battery health. The battery wears with use, so on a refurbished phone, this matters. Look for a listing that states battery health of 85% or higher. Good refurbishers publish this, and a fresh battery is an inexpensive fix later if you ever need one.
• Confirm the warranty and return window. Every phone we match you to comes with a warranty (usually a year) and a return window (usually 30 days). That's your safety net. If a deal somewhere else doesn't offer both, it isn't the deal it looks like.

How to choose, in one minute

• On Apple, or no strong preference: get the iPhone 13 (around $250). Better battery and night photos: iPhone 14. Keeping it for five years or want USB-C: iPhone 15 (around $400). Tight budget: iPhone 12 under $200.
• On Android: get the Galaxy S23 (around $235). Want the longest support: Galaxy S24 (around $400). Tight budget: Galaxy A54 under $200.
• Camera is your top priority: a Pixel, on the Android side.
• Buying a refurbished Samsung: choose the S23 over the S22. The S22 is near the end of its update life.

Whichever side you land on, the five checks above are what separate a clean buy from a returned one: unlocked, US version, the right SIM type, a healthy battery, and a warranty. The partners we match you to cover all five as standard.

Let us do the matching

If you'd rather not weigh this up yourself, that's what we're for. Answer a few quick questions and we'll find the phone that fits how you actually use one, at the lowest price we can find across our partners. We're building that tool now. Get notified when it's live Notify me when it’s live →

Heads up: Savvoo earns a commission when you buy through our partners. It never influences which products we pick. You can read how we work [here].

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Related, once live: [What does refurbished actually mean?] · [Best refurbished laptop for everyday use] · [Is buying a refurbished phone safe?]

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Sources

¹ Samsung, Galaxy S24 announcement (seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates, matching Google Pixel's commitment). Samsung Newsroom, January 2024. (Pixel parity: Google Pixel 8 seven-year support commitment, October 2023.)

² Galaxy S22 reaches its final major OS update (Android 16 / One UI 8, with One UI 8.5 the last point release), demoted to quarterly security updates in Samsung's February 2026 roadmap, security support to approximately February 2027. SamMobile, 2025-2026.

³ iPhone 13 software support: major iOS updates expected through approximately 2027 to 2028, security updates through around 2030; confirmed compatible with iOS 26 and iOS 27 (announced June 2026). Macworld / Macobserver, 2026.

⁴ Back Market names the iPhone 13 the best refurbished iPhone to buy in 2026 for most people, typically 40 to 50% below new. Back Market official iPhone page, 2026.

⁵ Samsung Knox is a defense-grade chip-level mobile security platform, government-certified (U.S. DoD / DISA), and built for enterprise fleets. Samsung Business, Knox security pages.

⁶ Memory shortage driving 2026 device prices: Gartner estimates a 130% surge in combined DRAM and SSD prices by the end of 2026, raising smartphone prices by approximately 13% and concentrating demand on premium devices; the trend of bringing flagship features to affordable phones is reversing. Gartner, February 2026 (corroborated by IDC and Counterpoint Research).