There’s typically no such thing as a “cheap iPhone”, but with Boost’s offer of refurbished phones on its store, the idea of a cheap iPhone is becoming closer to reality.
Apple doesn’t really make a budget iPhone, though it is beginning to make phones that fit more in line with affordable budgets than merely the high end. The iPhone 12 range, which runs across the least expensive iPhone 12 Mini to the iPhone 12 Pro Max at the high end offers four models in the line-up, and outside of these, there’s still the iPhone 11 and iPhone XR before it, but last year’s iPhone SE upgrade also brought Apple to the mid-range mobile world, offering an iPhone 8-like body with iPhone 11 parts for a sub-$700 price.
That’s a definite shot at the mid-range, for sure, and closer to the dream many people ask about: a cheap iPhone.
Finding a “cheap iPhone” often means turning to the used ads online or skulking around eBay trying to find an iPhone that matches a lower budget, because Apple doesn’t really make a cheap iPhone under $500. But just because Apple doesn’t make a cheap iPhone (yet) doesn’t mean you can’t find one, and it’s something Boost has been trying to solve.
In recent years, Boost has offered refurbished phones through its online store, going through several checks and adding on an extra warranty so you weren’t just buying someone else’s old unit and hoping for the best.
This week, Boost has announced its adding even more refurbs to the lineup, not just in phones, but in wearables and tablets, too, launching refurbished iPads and refurbished Apple Watches, bringing down the cost for buyers who don’t mind a unit that’s been restored from someone else’s ownership.
The watch offerings come from the Apple Watch Series 3 from 2017, as well as the Apple Watch Series 4 from 2018, while iPad models run across the standard iPad, iPad Mini, and the older iPad Air, back before it adopted the larger screen from the iPad Pro with the 2020 iPad Air. The refurbished Apple Watch at Boost is starting from $249, while the iPad models start from $239.
And it’s not just the tablet and wearable side of Apple that’s getting an update here, but also Apple phones.
As such, this week’s announcement also sees an iPhone 7 on Boost drop to $199 when sold at Coles supermarkets, basically taking off $100 for the moment. At the same time, the iPhone 8 — which is basically the same body as the iPhone SE, but with older parts inside — is being priced from $299, getting that cost closer to the idea of a “cheap iPhone” again.
“There is a growing acceptance of refurbished devices in Australia as people realise the great value and number of quality options available. On top of that trust knowing each device has gone through rigorous testing, cleaning, and re-packaging process,” said Jason Haynes, General Manager of Boost Mobile.
“As the number 1 mobile youth brand in the country that has already done the work in to become a trusted refurb seller, Boost is well positioned to deliver these additional options to value-driven customers.”
The phones, wearables, and tablets join the growing list of devices Boost sells under its refurb shop online and through Coles, with the devices coming through Alegre, a supplier of refurbished communication devices in Australia.
