The idea of a “cheap iPhone” isn’t something that really exists, but Boost’s refurbished program is at least making the iPhone more affordable for some.
It mightn’t be all that easy to find everything you want at the supermarket, but if you’re after a new phone, or even an older generation of phone at a less expensive price, the new year may well be bringing a bargain or two, particularly if you’re after the fabled “cheap iPhone”.
Every time someone asks us where you can find a cheap iPhone, we typically have to point out that iPhones rarely match that word. Pretty much every iPhone we’ve reviewed is fantastic, but rarely does it match the description of cheap or inexpensive.
The least expensive new iPhone you can find typically goes to the iPhone SE, a phone last updated nearly two years ago in 2020 that took the body of the iPhone 8, the camera of the iPhone XR, and the performance of the iPhone 11, and bringing it all under a $679 price tag. Just under $700 is how much you can expect to pay for the least expensive iPhone model, and it’s a pretty solid value all around.
But even that is too much for some, and if you’re looking to grab an iPhone for a lower price, you typically have to head to the used market.
Alternatively, there’s the world of refurbished devices, which is something Boost has been dealing in for some time.
Before the holidays, Boost offered up an iPad Mini with Coles, and ahead of the back to school season, it has a couple of iPhone models cut down in price from used but refurbished models, with a 64GB iPhone 8 going for $279, while a 64GB iPhone XR will retail for $499.
The price shift is more or less a back to school sort of deal, part of something Boost has worked on with Coles, which sees the phones both seeing $100 to $150 price drops compared to what they normally cost even as refurb models, with the phones even unlocked, though arriving with a Boost Mobile starter SIM, which operates on the Telstra 4G network in Australia.
“We know that smartphones are a very common talking point for families as they prepare to send kids to school, and refurbished iPhones continue to prove extremely popular with parents and kids alike,” said Jason Haynes, General Manager of Boost Mobile in Australia.
“If a family decides it is time for their child to have a phone to keep them safe and in contact, we are proud to be able to deliver Aussie families great value handsets and data plans on the biggest network,” he said.
Those price drops will kick in from January 26 in Australia at select Coles stores across the country.
