Mobile phones are perhaps one of the most costly necessities of modern living; not just because the one-off price of a brand new phone is often over £200, but because many people will upgrade their phone regularly, shelling out hundreds of pounds every two years. If you go for the really fancy brand-new phones, this could even reach up to £1000. Yet despite the hit to our bank accounts, people find ways to upgrade and keep up with the latest technology, usually by paying monthly through phone contracts, where you pay a bulk sum to receive the phone and then make the rest up over the next few years. And then, by the time you’ve paid it off, it's time to buy a new phone again! But what if we told you there was a cheaper way to keep mostly up to date with mobile phone technology without paying out the nose, and you might even be able to help the environment along the way?
Refurbished phones have been around for a long time, but recently they’ve really hit their stride. Companies like Swycha dedicate themselves to collecting pre-owned phones in order to refurbish them – this means that they are worked on by professionals to bring them back to full, factory-grade working order, fully wiping any evidence of a previous owner and ensuring it seems as good as new. While you might not be able to get the very newest model on the market, you will often be able to find very recent generations of the most popular phone brands, such as Apple so picking up a refurbished phone will be a fantastic choice for those who want to keep up with modern technology, but are perhaps aren’t too bothered about the newest of the new.
Now you know what a refurbished phone is, you might wonder what real benefits one has? Below are some great advantages that we think will really convince you.
You might think that buying a refurbished phone is basically getting a second-hand phone, and if that’s the case, why would you not just grab a used phone off eBay for fifty quid, or even better, take your sister’s old model for free after she’s upgraded? But that’s not the case. There’s no guarantee that the phone off eBay will actually work, and your sister’s phone is probably so old and battered by now you’ll barely get a year of use out of it before it fully packs it in. Refurbished phones, on the other hand, have usually been returned to the manufacturer after the previous owner changed their mind within the warranty period, or have been sent on to the refurbisher once the previous owner upgraded earlier than their contract was up. Once with the refurbisher, the phone will undergo specific checks to make sure it’s all in working order, will be restored back to factory settings, and any repairs needed will be made. This means the phone is essentially good as new, and you won’t even notice that it’s been owned before!
As mentioned before, people often shell out lots of money for their shiny brand new mobiles, whether that be the bulk sum to buy it outright, or over time on a contract. But because refurbished phones are technically second-hand and are also slightly older models, they will be much kinder on your bank account. Thanks to the fact that you often buy refurbished phones outright, this also means you’ll save money in the long run, as you can look into SIM only contracts which are much cheaper per month than a full-on phone contract, so you might even be able to invest in getting more minutes or data than you normally would.
Making a new mobile phone requires the use of many limited resources that must be mined, including gold, coltan, and lithium. Many people don’t realise exactly how limited these resources are, because many of them are very common in our day-to-day lives, but they will run out one day, so we must find ways to both conserve what we do have and elongate the life of what we already use. These materials must also be mined, an operation which is terrible for the environment as creating the mines can destroy environments, and continuing the process creates emissions and greenhouse gasses.
Not only this but many of the materials are known as ‘conflict minerals’ as they are most commonly mined in conflict zones full of violence for the people who live and work there. By purchasing a refurbished phone, you will be ensuring that these materials, which cause such trouble for both the Earth and people, are at least still being used and made the most of, instead of just being thrown away. In the future, if you, and all your friends and family, and all their friends and family, and so on, continue to buy refurbished phones as much as possible, it may help to put a huge dent in the demand for conflict materials and will be a massive aid in fighting against climate change and conflict in different parts of the world.
As you can see, there are many reasons you should consider investing in a refurbished phone, and here at The Range, we’re committed to making sure you can get the best deal! That’s why we’ve paired with Swycha, a reputable refurbished phone company that puts its mobiles through a vigorous 90-point check. So, go and check out our refurbished phones section to find your next phone today. Need some more guidance on refinished phones? Check out our blogs that dig deeper into the impact of phones on the environment, and some top tips on looking for a well refurbished phone.
