Andrew Hoyle / CNET
With the iPhone 11 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra With over $ 1,000 and even the "affordable" OnePlus 8 Pro for $ 899, I wanted to know how much phone I could get without spending a fortune. So I started hunting with $ 650 CNET money (thanks guys!) To see what quality of handset you can get when you buy a used handset.
I am based in the UK, so I mainly used eBay and a service called MusicMagpie that buys old, unwanted phones, renovates and resells them. There are services similar to Gazelle in the United States. It also means the phones were paid in pounds, but I've consistently given currency conversions for reference.
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Without further ado, here is what I have.
Amount paid: £ 120 ($ 150, AU $ 230)
Originally published: April 2015
Buyed by: eBay, from the renovation company
Announced condition: Grade A, "excellent"
It's on: Almost new. No scratches on the glass front or back, no significant scratches on the metal edges, slight cosmetic signs of wear on the metal edges around the camera unit. Screen and headphone jack in perfect condition. The MicroUSB outlet may be loose and sometimes requires the cable to wiggle before it is charged.
I trust him
Despite the small problem with the charging cable, this phone works well and everything else works fine. I had no unexpected crashes or other glitches that would indicate hardware failure. I would have no problem using this as my main phone.
Amount paid: £ 56 ($ 70, AU $ 110)
Originally published: March 2014
Buyed by: eBay, private seller
Announced condition: "Second hand"
It's on: Except for a few small marks in the upper right and lower left corners, there are very few signs of wear and tear on the phone housing. Display, charging port and headphone jack work perfectly.
I trust him
Absolutely. I had no crashes, no restarts and the phone seems to be as smooth as I remember when I tested another model in 2014.
Amount paid: £ 50 ($ 60, AU $ 95)
Originally published: September 2015
Buyed by: eBay, private seller
Announced condition: "Used - condition is excellent"
It's on: Little wear on the phone's rubber base material, otherwise no significant traces worth mentioning. The screen is scratch-free and works well.
However, the battery seems to have serious problems. The phone was shut down several times without warning, even though the battery level is over 50%. The phone will blink an empty battery icon and will not turn on until it is connected to a power source. At this point, the same battery level would be displayed (over 50%) and I could restart the phone. On other occasions, it was only turned on to be shut down immediately.
I trust him
No. It's difficult to determine whether the issues I've seen so far are related to an aging battery (which would be expected to a certain extent on a six-year-old phone) or some other issue. Regardless, shutting the phone down like this is a big problem, and I would not like to use it without knowing if it will exit without warning.
It's a shame that the "Pure Edition" Android of the Moto X - a reduced version of the operating system - works extremely smoothly for such an old device, with no noticeable delay when swiping. This phone is not considered "excellent" and I will try to return it for a refund - check out this area.
Amount paid: £ 75 ($ 95, AU $ 145)
Originally published: September 2014
Buyed by: eBay, renovation company
Announced condition: "Grade B: good condition - the case may have slight scratches and scratches. There may be signs of scratches on the screen that may have been picked up by everyday use."
It's on: Almost no visible signs of wear on the body or on the display of the phone. Comed with a pre-applied screen protector. However, the battery has aged. The phone was shutdown without warning and the following message was displayed when restarting:
"This iPhone shutdown unexpectedly because the battery was unable to deliver the peak power required. Power management was used to prevent this from happening again."
I trust him
Not really. The warning message is a sign of an outdated battery. The result is that the phone's performance is throttled to prevent further crashes. Or I could choose to endure more crashes in the settings without throttling performance. Neither is an ideal option.
The "Battery status" section in the phone's settings states that the battery has a maximum capacity of 91% compared to new, which doesn't seem to be too bad. However, the message "Unexpected shutdown" is repeated in the same settings menu.
I just had an opportunity to come to terms with the problem and continue with a throttled phone, or try to get the battery replaced by Apple or a third party. Apple is quoting a price of £ 49 ($ 49, AU $ 79) for the battery change, which costs a lot of money since the phone initially cost only £ 75.
Amount paid: £ 215 ($ 270, AU $ 415)
Originally published: April 2017
Buyed by: MusicMagpie
Announced condition: "Good - This product shows signs of wear, but has been fully tested and works perfectly."
It's on: Very small scratches on the display and a few small chips on the corners of the metal edge. The display itself is fully functional, as is the camera, the USB-C charging port and the headphone jack.
I trust him
During the first few hours on the phone, I found no problems with the handset. I would feel very comfortable using this as my main handheld.
What have I learned
As with anything, you get what you pay for. The Galaxy S8 works very well and comes with a 12-month warranty from MusicMagpie. But at £ 215 ($ 270) it was by far the most expensive in the bunch.
The Moto X was a big disappointment despite its low price of £ 50. It doesn't work and I can't use this phone as the main device. The iPhone's battery problem meets the expectations of an older battery, and the phone is perfectly usable for at least some time, albeit with reduced performance. Not bad for 75 pounds.
Neither the HTC One M8 nor the Galaxy S6 have shown any problems so far, and I'm looking forward to testing them further to find out what you can get out of used phones at these prices.
If you buy used phones yourself, keep in mind that there are advantages and disadvantages no matter how much you spend. An older phone will cost you less, but obsolete batteries and other potential hardware failures can mean you aren't really getting the bargain you were hoping for.
It's also important to keep in mind that these older phones don't have the latest versions of Android on board. Not only does this mean that some new apps are not compatible with your phone, it means the phones may not contain important security updates that could make you vulnerable.
