Five refurbished iPhones under $500 that still hold up well in 2026

If you’re trying to buy a new iPhone but don’t quite want an iPhone 17, it can often be hard to find something on a tighter budget. Sure, Apple offers the iPhone 17e at $599 – but not everyone finds that to be a compelling phone. Luckily, there’s plenty of great options if you want to buy used, and I’ll be diving into five great picks for varying needs.

#1 – iPhone 15 Pro

If you’re after higher end features like a ProMotion display, Apple Intelligence, and a telephoto lens – the iPhone 15 Pro is hands down the best overall pick, presuming your budget allows for it.

It runs the A17 Pro chip (which is still used in the latest generation iPad mini) – making it great for Apple Intelligence features, and giving you plenty of power for years to come.

At the time of writing, you can pick up an unlocked 128GB iPhone 15 Pro from Amazon Renewed for $487, making it cheaper than the new iPhone 17e, while packing tons of premium features. If you’re into a larger screen size, you can grab an unlocked iPhone 15 Pro Max with double the storage for $85 more, at $572 – though that does fall outside of the budget.

#2 – iPhone 15

If you want the cheapest iPhone with USB-C or Dynamic Island, the iPhone 15 is an awesome choice. You get a nice 48MP camera sensor, and if you’re into the physical mute switch – the iPhone 15 is the last iPhone to offer that. Battery life is quite stellar, and it has a pretty compelling color lineup.

You can currently pick up an unlocked 128GB iPhone 15 for $389 on Amazon Renewed, making it a sub-$400 option to get a pretty complete iPhone package. If bigger phones are your jam, you can get the 128GB iPhone 15 Plus for $408.

#3 – iPhone 13 mini

If you’re a small phone fan, the iPhone 13 mini remains the best option for you – since Apple decided to give up on making smaller iPhones. It’s still quite capable with its A15 Bionic chip, though you’ll have to live with the Lightning charging port. Either way, thanks to its great 800 nit OLED display and sweet camera system, this phone shouldn’t feel too dated, despite being four years old.

iPhone 13 mini’s currently fetch around $230 in the 128GB configuration, making it one of the cheapest iPhones you can pick up from this list – and it’s a special one.

#4 – iPhone 14 Plus

Conversely, if you want the cheapest big iPhone (at least, one that isn’t too old) – the iPhone 14 Plus remains the best overall choice. It has a strong camera system, and even stronger battery life – with a strong array of colors, including an awesome yellow finish. This phone succeeded the previously mentioned iPhone 13 mini.

There isn’t much to say about the iPhone 14 Plus – it’s just a solid device that’ll do everything you’d want from a larger screened iPhone. Right now, you can get one for around $309 on Amazon Renewed, making it a really great value option.

As an honorable mention, you can also consider the iPhone 13 Pro Max – which’ll offer high end enthusiast features, like ProMotion, a telephoto camera lens, and a stainless steel build. Those fetch around $409 for 128GB.

#5 – iPhone SE 3

Last but not least, iPhone SE 3. It packs an A15 chip and 5G, making it a suitable phone for 2025 – though it comes in a much more dated form factor. You’ll still have a 4.7-inch LCD screen and a home button, just like iPhone 8. You’ll also only have a single rear camera. That said, if you only want your iPhone to do the bare essentials, the iPhone SE 3 can be found for pretty cheap.

For just $129, you can pick up an iPhone SE 3 on Amazon Renewed. If you want an iPhone, this is as cheap as they’ll get, and it still stacks up quite favorably. 64GB of storage may prove a bit tight, so you can opt for 128GB at $179 if you think that’ll work better for you.

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