Life is never easy. Many people go out just balling on the budget. When you want to buy a phone in 2025, maybe it's a good choice to choose an iPhone refurbished unlocked. Today's iPhones have excellent quality and performance, so if you buy a reliable refurbished iPhone, you can still use the iPhone like a new one with very satisfactory budget. This article will guide you through what a refurbished unlocked iPhone is and where you can buy one of good quality.

Part 1: What a Refurbished Unlocked iPhone Is

What does unlocked refurbished iPhone mean? To understand what a refurbished unlocked iPhone is, you should figure out what quot;refurbishedquot; and "unlocked" mean:

Refurbished: It means that an iPhone was previously owned or returned, and then it is inspected, repaired (if needed), cleaned, or factory reset. A refurbished iPhone is not strictly a second-hand iPhone because the latter is not as well-treated as the former. Usually, a refurbished iPhone is sold by Apple, authorized sellers, or third-party repair shops and individuals (not recommended for purchase).

Unlocked: It means the iPhone is not tied to any specific carrier. You can insert any SIM card or use any e-SIM in the iPhone. It generally doesn't indicate an iPhone's screen passcode is locked, especially when it's a refurbished unlocked iPhone because quot;refurbishedquot; means that the iPhone doesn't have a screen passcode.

Part 2: Top 5 Places to Buy Refurbished Unlocked iPhone

Now, let's check five places where you can buy refurbished iPhones unlocked. All the sources we recommended are not individuals. You can get reliable customer service from those platforms.

Top 1. Apple Certified Refurbished Store

Price Range: iPhone 15 – iPhone 15 Pro Max: $619~$1269

Where can you buy the most reliable refurbished iPhone unlocked? Apple is definitely the best place because Apple itself handles those iPhones and sells them officially. If you choose to buy refurbished iPhones unlocked here, you can enjoy a 1-year guarantee, a new battery, and a new outer shell. Refurbished unlocked iPhones here are fully tested and certified, distinguished from new ones. However, only few models are sold as refurbished unlocked iPhones in the Apple Certified Refurbished Store.

Top 2. Amazon Renewed

Price Range: iPhone 15 – iPhone 15 Pro Max: around $500~800

Amazon Renewed is also a good place to buy a refurbished unlocked iPhone. However, Amazon Renewed sells too many products, and the search feature is poor and often crashes. Maybe you can only browse the Amazon Renewed homepage to search for a refurbished unlocked iPhone. Luckily, you can get new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Usually, Amazon offers a 90-day guarantee and more unlocked models than Apple. However, those refurbished and unlocked iPhones' quality vary depending on the seller; you'd better read the reviews carefully before buying a refurbished unlocked iPhone.

Top 3. Back Market

Price Range: iPhone 15 - iPhone 15 Pro Max: $400~$800

Back Market is a specialized refurbished device sale platform. You can buy many refurbished products, including refurbished iPhones unlocked. It has a good and neat product classification feature. You can quickly find all refurbished iPhones. The prices here are not that high.

Moreover, Back Market offers a 1-year warranty and multiple cosmetic grades. You can directly choose an unlocked iPhone, like a T-Mobile unlocked iPhone. As for the quality and performance of those refurbished unlocked iPhones, Back Market cannot offer the same quality as App

Top 4. Best Buy (Pre-Owned & Refurbished)

Price Range: iPhone 15 – iPhone 15 Pro Max: $400~$800

Best Buy is a popular and reliable platform to buy many products. You can also search for and buy refurbished unlocked iPhones. However, this website doesn't offer a specific category that contains only refurbished and unlocked iPhones. You can only browse all those products, including pre-owned and refurbished ones. You also need to pay attention to the model, unlocked condition, and certification. Maybe the Geek Squad certified refurbished unlocked iPhones are much more reliable.

Best Buy has many third-party sellers, so it's not that easy to find a satisfactory refurbished unlocked iPhone. However, Best Buy offer a 90-day guarantee and good refund policy.

Top 5. Swappa

Price Range: At least $300

Swappa offers very cheap, refurbished, unlocked iPhones. It mainly sells pro-owned and refurbished iPhones, and you can also locate the Unlocked category to choose only unlocked refurbished iPhones. The lowest price currently is $300. However, those refurbished iPhones don't have a new battery. However, Swappa is a user-to-user platform, so there's no platform guarantee or refund policy. If you want to buy a refurbished unlocked iPhone in Swappa, you should be very careful.

Part 3: How to Unlock iPhone Screen and iCloud Activation Lock

Refurbished unlocked iPhone is good for many users who are on a budget. However, if you accidentally buy a second-hand iPhone that still has a screen lock or iCloud Activation Lock, what can you do to keep using the iPhone? Apeaksoft iOS Unlocker can help you! It can easily remove Face ID, Touch ID, screen passcode, and iCloud Activation Lock on any iPhone.

Step 1. Download and install Apeaksoft iOS Unlocker on your computer and launch it. Connect your iPhone to your computer. Then, this program will recognize your device.

Step 2. Then, you can choose Wipe Passcode to remove Face ID, Touch ID, or screen passcode on your iPhone. You can also choose Bypass iCloud Activation Lock to remove iCloud Activation lock on your iPhone.

Step 3. Then, you only need to click the Start button and follow the on-screen guide to remove screen lock or iCloud Activation lock. Note that you should jailbreak your iPhone to remove iCloud Activation Lock.

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