When to buy a refurbished iPhone in the UK

Start with the phone you need

Choose the smallest storage capacity you can live with, the screen size you want and any essential camera features. Then compare the models that meet those requirements. Waiting for an unsuitable phone to become cheap rarely improves the purchase.

Use launches as a checkpoint

A launch can change buyers' choices and the supply of older phones. Neither effect tells us when a particular UK seller will lower a price. Read the dated observations for your model rather than applying a fixed depreciation percentage to the whole range.

Check Black Friday against the recorded low

Compare the offer with the model's own earlier GBP readings. The percentage on a promotion banner may use a different reference price from the history you are looking at. Storage, condition and battery options must also match.

Set a target before you wait

• Decide how long your current phone can reasonably last.
• Choose a target in pounds that you would actually pay.
• Create a UK alert and check the final offer after a notification.
• If the UK history is short, treat the lowest recorded amount as a limited reference.