Why Buying a Used Phone Could Be Your Best Option

2 minute read

Buying a phone already involves tons of choices: Apple vs. Samsung, black vs. gray, 16GB vs. 32GB. But there’s another category you might also want to consider: Used vs. new.

Most people buy used phones to replace broken devices or upgrade to newer models. But a good chunk of consumers are purchasing used phones to save money in other ways, according to data from Gazelle.com, a site for trading in and buying pre-owned phones.

According to Gazelle, 17% of the site’s used phone buyers this year purchased the devices for their children, who might not need the latest and greatest devices. If your kids only need a phone for emergencies, for instance, it could be far cheaper to get them a used phone on a month-to-month plan rather than a shiny new device on an expensive two-year contract.

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1986 THE A-TEAM "The Say U.N.C.L.E. Affair" Episode 5. (l-r) Eddie Velez as Frankie Santana, Robert Vaughn as General Hunt Stockwell, George Peppard as John 'Hannibal' Smith.Bill Dow—NBC/Getty Images
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1993 Whoopi Goldberg during ShoWest in Las Vegas.Jeff Kravitz—FilmMagic/Getty Images
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1997 A farmer with his family sitting on a Bullock Cart and talking on a mobile Phone, in Delhi.India Today Group/Getty Images
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Meanwhile, about one-fifth of Gazelle’s used phone customers were buying their first-ever smartphone often to avoid two-year contracts that they don’t need or can’t afford, the company says. Another one-third of used phone customers were upgrading to a better model — though not always the latest model.

If you’re thinking about buying a used phone, here’s a look at just how much you can save on some of the most popular smartphones around:

 

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