The Black Friday, Prime Day and holiday shopping events of 2024 are now behind us. Everyone who wanted a new phone probably got one during one of those promo campaigns. And there is a good chance they traded in their old phone, so let’s have a look at what the renewed aisle has to offer.
We wanted to focus on iPhones this week as Apple devices rarely go on sale, so they are rarely featured in these weekly posts. We will start with the latest models and go back to the iPhone 13 series (which launched in late 2021).
Surprisingly, there are renewed iPhone 16 models available. Unsurprisingly, they cost almost the same as new – that said, some offers, especially those for higher storage capacities, enable some decent savings. These are the latest models and all of them feature Apple Intelligence, the Camera Control and the Action Button. Note that the Pros are larger than the vanilla models and older Pros (6.3”/6.9” vs. 6.1”/6.7”).
Apple still sells older non-Pro iPhones, going back to the 14-series, so we’ve included comparisons with the prices for new units where available. If you want an older Pro, you’re out of luck, at least as far as Apple is concerned. By the way, Amazon offers a trade-in deal for up to $220 credit with these renewed phones if you want to swap.
The iPhone 15 series was the first to use USB-C, which will be Apple’s connector of choice for many years to come. You will be missing out on the new controls and 48MP ultra wide cameras compared to the 16-series. Note that the iPhone 15 Pro has a shorter tele camera than the Pro Max (77mm vs. 120mm). On the plus side, the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max also support Apple Intelligence (the vanilla 15 duo does not).
The iPhone 14 series was the last to use the Lightning adapter. You probably already have enough Lightning cables at home – and if not, they are still widely available. And MagSafe is nearly universal, so charging shouldn’t be an issue. The two vanilla iPhone 14 models miss out on the main camera upgrade (the 15-series got 48MP). The Pros do have 48MP main cameras, though.
The iPhone 13 series launched back in 2021. They have 12MP main cameras, all four of them, and this was before Apple made the switch to LTPO. The Pro phones still have 120Hz displays, but they are less flexible when it comes to frame rate. The iPhone 13 mini was the last of its kind, so if you want a tiny but capable phone, this is one of the few remaining options.
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