A refurbished smartphone usually costs less than the same model new, but the gap varies a lot from one model to another, and refurbished is not always the cheaper option. Picksly rates each smartphone from public measurements and matches it with verified new and refurbished offers. Here is what the catalogue shows, the three things to check before buying (battery, updates, warranty) and the right pick for your profile.
The figures below are from the catalogue on 11 October 2026, for France; every price quoted carries the date it was recorded. Prices change: always check the price shown by the shop before buying.
What the catalogue shows
Picksly tracks 240 smartphones. 149 have a verified refurbished price in France, with a median of €371; 158 have a new price, with a median of €490. 101 models have both, which lets us compare the same phone in both conditions:
- refurbished is cheaper for 82 models, with a median gap of 28%;
- it is more expensive for 19 models. Example: the OnePlus 15 at €989 refurbished (Refurbed.fr, recorded on 8 October), against €879.99 new (Amazon, recorded on 1 October).
Across all 101, the median refurbished price is 80% of the new price. Comparing both prices for the same model, at the same time, is therefore essential.
The refurbished offers we track come mostly from two specialist shops, Refurbed.fr (94 models) and Certideal.com (23), then eBay (19) and Amazon (13).
At €350 or less: refurbished or new?
€350 is the Budget profile’s ceiling for smartphones. At that price, 68 models have a refurbished offer and 59 a new one; 41 models only fall under €350 when refurbished. Median scores out of 100:
| Criterion | Refurbished, €350 or less | New, €350 or less |
|---|---|---|
| Median price | €210 | €240 |
| Performance | 12 | 9 |
| Memory (RAM) | 20 | 20 |
| Battery | 43 | 62 |
| Camera | 65 (41 models rated) | 36 (20 models rated) |
| Promised updates | 50 (48 models rated) | 25 (36 models rated) |
| Budget score | 47 | 53 |
The table says two things. Refurbished phones in this range are mostly older, higher-end models: of the 45 with a known release date, 28 came out in 2022 or 2023, against 10 of 34 for new ones. They keep a better camera and a longer update promise, but a smaller battery. And their median Budget score is lower (47 against 53), because battery counts for more than the camera in that score: at €350, refurbished is not better by default, only for some models.
What to check before buying
The battery
On a phone, it is the part that wears out most. Picksly’s battery score comes from a DXOMARK battery test or, failing that, from the capacity announced by the manufacturer: it describes the model when new, not the state of the battery in the unit you buy. Look at what the shop says: remaining capacity, or battery replaced.
Software updates
The “updates” score counts the major system versions promised by the manufacturer (GSMArena spec sheet, manufacturer page, or Apple’s regulatory statement). It says what was promised when the model came out, not what is left on the day you buy. Example: the 31 iPhones we track all get the same score, 50 out of 100, from the iPhone 11 (€159.20 refurbished, Refurbed.fr, recorded on 8 October) to the iPhone 17, six generations later. On a model released several years ago, check on the manufacturer’s website how long it will still receive updates. 33 of the 149 refurbished models have no updates score: the model page says so instead of inventing a value.
The warranty
It depends on your country. In France, a professional seller owes the legal guarantee of conformity, whether the product is new or refurbished. One difference matters: a defect that appears after purchase is presumed to have existed at delivery for 24 months on a new item, but only 12 months on a used or refurbished one (article L217-7 of the French Consumer Code). The shop’s own warranty comes on top, and its length varies. Elsewhere, the rules differ: read the seller’s terms. On a marketplace such as eBay, check that the seller is an identified business.
Condition and configuration
Grades (“very good”, “good”…) differ from one shop to another: read their definition. The same model comes in several storage capacities; check the one in the offer.
How Picksly keeps prices
The condition is read from the listing: a title that says “refurbished” puts the offer in refurbished, even if the shop listed it as new. A “new” price below 60% of the refurbished price of the same model is not kept as new: it may be a spare part, a variant or a misfiled listing. The full method is on the smartphones page.
The right pick for your profile
🟢 Budget: the only profile that accepts refurbished
The Budget profile keeps smartphones at €350 or less, new or refurbished, at the lower of the two prices, and picks the best Budget score. Among models whose retained price is the refurbished one, the best rated:
- Honor 200 Pro: Budget score 81, €324 (eBay, recorded on 7 October); no verified new price.
- Honor 200: Budget score 76, €265 (Refurbed.fr, recorded on 8 October), against €335.99 new (eBay, recorded on 8 October).
- Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: Budget score 65, €183.99 (Certideal.com, recorded on 5 October), against €402 new (Amazon, recorded on 5 October), and the top updates score.
- Xiaomi 14T: Budget score 64, €299 (eBay, recorded on 23 September), against €546.29 new (Amazon, recorded on 5 October).
- Google Pixel 8 Pro: Budget score 64, €325.38 (Refurbed.fr, recorded on 8 October); camera 98 out of 100, but battery 31.
Compare them with the best model sold only new under €350, the Xiaomi Poco M8 Pro: Budget score 66, €279 (Amazon, recorded on 20 September). Conversely, none of the 11 refurbished iPhones at €350 or less scores above 43 in Budget: their memory scores 0 out of 100, and so does the battery capacity of most of them.
Every refurbished model at €350 or less, with its dated price, is on our ratings page.
🟣 Smart: new
The Smart profile keeps new smartphones with a Smart score of at least 50 out of 100, in which value for money weighs 20%. If you are torn between an older refurbished flagship and a new mid-range phone, compare the Smart score of new models.
🔵 Premium: never refurbished
The Premium profile only keeps new smartphones, released no more than 24 months ago when the date is known, with a Premium score of at least 60 out of 100: see the Premium ranking.
Going further
- Refurbished or new: how to choose
- Smartphone under €350: what really matters
- Refurbished laptop: which one to choose
To see at a glance whether the price shown on Amazon is good, install the Picksly extension: it compares the page you are looking at with the offers we track, for your profile. And for the best-rated products, see our Top 10 smartphones.
FAQ
Is a refurbished smartphone always cheaper than a new one?
No. Of the 101 models with both prices in the catalogue, refurbished is more expensive than new for 19 of them. Always compare both prices for the same model, at the same time.
What warranty comes with a refurbished smartphone?
It depends on your country. In France, the legal guarantee of conformity applies when the seller is a business; a defect is presumed to have existed at delivery for 12 months on a refurbished item, against 24 months on a new one (article L217-7 of the French Consumer Code). The shop may add its own warranty.
How long will a refurbished smartphone receive updates?
Picksly’s score says how many system versions the manufacturer promised when the model came out, not how many are left. For a model several years old, the end date announced by the manufacturer is the only reliable answer.
Why does Picksly never suggest refurbished in Premium?
Because the Premium profile promises the best quality, new and recent: a refurbished device has already been used and its battery has aged. It belongs in the Budget profile.
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