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Buying electronics renewed is hit or miss. Sometimes, you get a like-new device or one that works great, while other times you get something that really was not taken care of with poor performance. When buying refurbished or renewed, you always want to consider the device’s battery life, its general condition, warranty options and history, and any other details about its past, assuming you can even get them. But what about renewed phones? Or, more specifically, renewed Android phones sold at places like Amazon? The answer is pretty much what you’d expect: It depends.
With store credits, gift cards, and other promotional offers, plus a roundabout series of discounts through the online retailer, it can seem like a great purchase option. For example, Amazon unclaimed packages can be bought by anyone and sometimes include new or old phones and devices, along with a renewed product guarantee and a 90-day return period. But it can sometimes take some work to discern what’s a good deal. Amazon reviews for renewed devices aren’t accurate, as they’re not exclusively from renewed purchases, but also reviews from other countries and new phone releases, skewing ratings. You might be looking at a four-star rating that doesn’t apply to the renewed variant.
There’s also not much information about device histories in product listings, so you could be getting locked versions or broken devices that are in worse condition than listed. Reviewers have received phones that were originally blacklisted for fraud. One-star reviews feature complaints about renewed phones being locked to an unavailable carrier, devices that don’t activate or don’t work, and devices that arrive broken.
What else do renewed Android device owners have to say?
Looking closely at user comments and reviews can reveal what may be waiting for you, should you choose to go with an Amazon Renewed phone. The Samsung Galaxy S21 5G unlocked has over 17,000 reviews, 16% of which are one star or lower. Top comments lambast the refurbished sales for failing or non-working batteries, screens that don’t work, and overheating after some use. But as with most things, your mileage may vary. Not all experiences are bad; some people have found the renewed phone options to be great value. There are some used phones that are totally worth buying, depending on where you order.
The Google Pixel 7 5G renewed has four stars out of over 1,700 reviews. Dig deeper and you’ll see similar commentary, with the same 16% of reviews one star or under as of writing. Commenters claim sub-par device conditions, batteries dead on arrival, overheating and OEM-locked software, which prevents modifications and custom firmware. The last issue won’t always be relevant; not everyone cares about installing custom firmware, but it matters when the renewed phone is advertised as unlocked.
It’s not just Android, either. Browse any renewed Apple iPhone model and you’ll find the same types of comments, with faulty charging ports, poor battery life, overheating, and performance issues. Two and three-star reviews for renewed devices aren’t much better. It reveals that if you are going with Amazon Renewed, you’re taking a gamble that you won’t get a working device, no matter what Amazon says. It may be worth avoiding renewed, especially when there are cheaper alternatives to popular devices like the iPhone 17 that aren’t pre-owned.
