Buying a refurbished iPhone is a great way to save a pretty penny, and now there’s another reason why you should consider avoiding the Apple Store.
One French company is selling rebuilt models that have been painted in pretty colors as part of its “Better Then Refurbished” program. They’re gorgeous, and they cost a lot less.
Buying refurbished can be a risky business. If you’re not careful, you could end up with an iPhone that’s been battered more than an old piñata. But not if you buy yours from Remade.
Remade’s iPhone lineup has been completely rebuilt to ensure every component is working perfectly — but the real selling point is that they’re available in colorful custom shells and at a fair price.
Remade iPhones look great
Remade buys “busted iPhones in bulk from electronics recycling plants and proceed to disassemble them,” reports Macworld, which got a chance to speak to the company at MWC.
“Any broken parts are replaced, and all batteries are swapped out with new ones built to the same specifications as Apple’s.” When you buy an iPhone from Remade, then, you know it’s going to work.
It will stand out in a sea of other iPhones, too. Remade offers not only the usual color options, but also custom shells that have been painted green, blue, raspberry, and other pretty colors.
Custom cases made from scratch
The devices look and feel just like a regular iPhone, Macworld adds, only prettier. Their aluminum unibodies are genuine Apple parts, but they’ve been stripped down and repainted.
Remade is only offering iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 units in custom colors for now, but it is experimenting with glass to bring the same customizations to iPhone 8, iPhone X, and others.
In France, those handsets sell for 30 to 40 percent less than new units. An iPhone 7 with 32GB of storage is priced at €450, whereas Apple charges €530 for the same device.
Remade doesn’t sell outside of France for now, so you won’t be able to get one in the U.S. just yet. However, the company is hoping to expand its reach, and is currently in talks with Verizon to sell its devices in U.S. stores this year.
