Looking for a way to save some money on the latest Apple products? Consider a refurbished MacBook, refurbished iPhone, or refurbished iPad from the Apple Certified Refurbished store. A refurbished product is just like a new, but at a lower price.
Here’s a quick guide with links to the best deals you can find on the refurb store, along with a FAQ guide if you want to know more about the ins and outs of the Apple Certified Refurbished store and buying a refurbished MacBook, desktop Mac, iPhone, or iPad. We make a recommendation of what to buy, but feel free to check out the store inventory to find the right model for you.
Editor’s note: Updated 2/4/22 to reflect the current inventory of the store.
Refurbished iPhone
As of this writing, the store has a very limited selection available.
Which iPhone should you buy? Apple’s only two models available. You can get the Refurbished iPhone 11 Pro Max 512GB (Unlocked) in Silver for $1,019, a savings of $280. The only other phone available is a Refurbished iPhone 8 256GB (Unlocked) in Gold, Silver, or Space Gray for $449, a savings of $150.
Check out the iPhones on the Apple Certified Refurbished store.
Refurbished 13-inch MacBook Pro
Apple’s stock ebbs and flows. Sometimes there are several current MacBook Pro models to choose from, while other times the selection is small. Some are standard configurations, while others are customized, built-to-order models.
At this writing, Apple has M1 models in stock. Most of the inventory is Intel-based models.
Which 13-inch MacBook Pro should you buy? Grab a Refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Pro Apple M1 Chip with 8‑Core CPU, 8‑Core GPU, 256GB SSD and 8GB of memory in Space Gray or Silver for $1,099. That’s a $200 savings.
Other 13-inch MacBook Pro to consider:
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Refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Pro Apple M1 Chip with 8‑Core CPU, 8‑Core GPU, 512SSD and 8GB of memory in Silver or Space Gray for $1,269.
Refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pro
As of this writing, Apple’s inventory of the 16-inch MacBook Pro is filled with 2019 Intel models. It will be a while before the M1 Pro and M1 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro shows up in refurbs. You might actually find better deals on the 16-inch Intel-based MacBook Pro at third-party retailers such as Best Buy or Amazon, because they are pricing these models to clear inventory.
Which 16-inch MacBook Pro should you buy? The Refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pro 2.3GHz 8-core Intel Core i9 with Retina display in Space Gray for $2,379 is a good deal, which is $410 lower than a brand new model. It comes with 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 4GB AMD Radeon Pro 5500M graphics card.
Refurbished MacBook Air
Apple is out of M1 MacBook Air models in the refurbished store as of this writing. Models with Intel processors are the only Air models available, and they’re high-end models priced well over $1,000. We don’t recommend them. Check back at a later date.
Go to the Apple Certified Refurbished store to see all of the available MacBook Air models for sale.
Refurbished iPad
The refurb store can be a good place to save some money on an iPad, though might actually find better deals on brand-new iPads from Best Buy and other non-Apple retailers. As of this writing, the refurb store is out of stock of the iPad Air.
Which iPad should you buy? Apple has the 8th generation iPad Wi-Fi 128GB in Gold, Silver, and Space Gray for $349, which is $70 off the original price. This model was originally released in 2020.
Other iPads to consider:
- 4th generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro with 256GB of storage and Wi-Fi only in Silver or Space Gray for $829, which is $220 lower than the regular price.
Go to the Apple Certified Refurbished store to see all of the available iPad models for sale.
Refurbished Apple Watch
The refurb store has only older watch models. You won’t find a Series 7 at the time of this writing.
Which Apple Watch should you buy? Apple has a Refurbished Apple Watch Series 6 GPS + Cellular, Graphite Stainless Steel Case with Black Sport Band in 40mm for $559, which is $90 lower than the regular price.
Go to the Apple Certified Refurbished store to see all of the available Apple Watch models for sale.
Refurbished 21.5-inch iMac
As of this writing, Apple has a limited stock of refurbished 21.5-inch iMacs.
Which 21.5-inch iMac should you buy? Apple has a Refurbished 21.5-inch iMac 3.0GHz 6-core Intel Core i5 with Retina 4K display, 8GB of memory and a 1TB Fusion drive for $1,269, which is $230 less than a new model.
Other 21.5-inch iMacs to consider:
- Refurbished 21.5-inch iMac 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 for $889.
Go to the Apple Certified Refurbished store to see all of the available 21.5-inch iMacs for sale.
24-inch M1 iMac
Willis Lai/IDG
Refurbished 24-inch iMac
As of this writing, Apple has a few models of the 24-inch iMac.
Which 24-inch iMac should you buy? Get the Refurbished 24-inch iMac Apple M1 Chip with 8‑Core CPU and 8‑Core GPU, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, Gigabit Ethernet, 2 Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, and 2 USB 3 ports in Blue, Pink, or Yellow for $1,239, which is $230 lower than a new model.
Other 24-inch iMacs to consider:
- Refurbished 24-inch iMac Apple M1 Chip with 8‑Core CPU and 8‑Core GPU, 8GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, Gigabit Ethernet, 2 Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, and 2 USB 3 ports in Blue, Green, Orange, Pink, Silver, and Yellow, for $1,439, which is $260 lower than a new model.
Go to the Apple Certified Refurbished store to see all of the available 24-inch iMacs for sale.
Refurbished 27-inch iMac
As of this writing, Apple’s stock of refurbished 27-inch iMacs has grown. There’s a wide variety of 2020 and 2019 models to choose from.
Which 27-inch iMac should you buy? Apple has a Refurbished 27-inch iMac 3.1GHz 6-core Intel Core i5 with Retina 5K display for $1,529, which is $270 less than a new model. This iMac has 8GB of memory, a 256GB SSD, and a 4GB Radeon Pro 5300 graphics card.
Other 27-inch iMacs to consider:
- Refurbished 27-inch iMac 3.3GHz 6-core Intel Core i5 with Retina 5K display, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD, and a 4GB Radeon Pro 5300 graphics card for $1,699, ($300 less than the original price)
- Refurbished 27-inch iMac 3.8GHz 8-core Intel Core i7 with Retina 5K display, 8GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and an 8GB Radeon Pro 5500 XT graphics card for $1,949 ($350 less than the original price)
Go to the Apple Certified Refurbished store to see all of the available 27-inch iMacs for sale.
Refurbished Mac mini
As of this writing, Apple has very limited stock of the M1 Mac mini. Apple’s inventory is mostly Intel-based models.
Which Mac mini should you buy? Refurbished Mac mini Apple M1 Chip with 8‑Core CPU, 8‑Core GPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD for $759, which is $140 less than the regular price.
Go to the Apple Certified Refurbished store to see all of the available Mac minis for sale.
Refurbished iMac Pro
Apple discontinued the iMac Pro so you can’t buy it new. But Apple now has several different models in stock in refurbs.
Which iMac Pro should you buy? Apple has a Refurbished 27-inch iMac Pro 3.2GHz 8-core Intel Xeon W with Retina 5K display for $3,819, a savings of $680.
Go to the Apple Certified Refurbished store to see all of the available iMac Pros for sale.
Refurbished Mac Pro
The Mac Pro is a pricey machine, so going with a refurb is a way to save some cash.
Which Mac Pro should you buy? For a brand new Mac Pro, Apple doesn’t offer standard configurations; it’s a machine you customize to your preferences. Since a refurbished Mac is a machine that a customer returned, all the Mac Pros in Apple’s refurbished inventory are ones that a customer designed. You can’t customize a refurb, so you basically have to pick what’s on the shelf. If you really want a refurb Mac Pro, you may have to settle for a model that doesn’t quite fit the specifications you want.
That being said, big savings could be had. We’ve seen models for sale that were over $1,000 cheaper than a brand new model. If you are planning to spend big bucks, it’s at least worth a few minutes checking out the inventory.
Go to the Apple Certified Refurbished store to see all of the available Mac Pros for sale.
Refurbished Apple TV
As of this writing, Apple is out of stock on the Apple TV. Check back at a later time.
Go to the Apple Certified Refurbished store to see all of the available Apple TVs for sale.
Refurbished HomePod
As of this writing, Apple does not have any refurbished models in stock.
Apple Certified Refurbished store FAQ
What’s the difference between the Apple Certified Refurbished store and the Apple store?
The Apple Certified Refurbished store sells gently-used products that have been returned to the company. Apple repairs and tests these products to make sure they are in like-new condition. The Apple store, however, sells only new products that have never been opened and used.
Strangely, finding the Apple Certified Refurbished store isn’t obvious. On Apple.com, scroll to the very bottom of the page, where you’ll find a site directory. Under Apple Store, you’ll find a link for Refurbished and Clearance. (This link takes you there.)
What does “Certified Refurbished” mean?
The items in the Apple Certified Refurbished store are products that have been purchased and returned by other customers. Apple puts these products through what they call a “stringent refurbishment process” before they are put on the virtual shelves.
Apple says that each product is thoroughly tested and any problematic hardware components are replaced. The exception is with the Apple Watch and Apple Pencil: If these items need new parts, they aren’t put up for sale.
Each product goes through a quality assurance inspection, and is also cleaned, inspected, and repackaged with complete documentation, cables, and anything else that usually ships with that device. These products are essentially like new.
What kind of warranty comes with an Apple Certified Refurbished product?
Apple includes a standard one-year limited warranty. Learn more about Apple’s hardware warranties.
Is AppleCare available for Apple Certified Refurbished products?
AppleCare is available. For an additional fee, you can get two or three years of coverage and support. Read our guide to AppleCare for more information.
What products are available?
Since these are refurbished products, inventory for this store relies on what’s returned to Apple. Because of this, it’s quite possible the store won’t have the model that you want. Apple may not have a certain model of a product one day, and the next day they might all of a sudden have a limited stock run available, unannounced. Then, once that batch sells out, it will once again become unavailable until Apple builds up stock again.
The Apple Certified Refurbished store carries all of the company’s major product lines: Macs, iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, HomePods, iPods, and Apple TVs. There’s also a Refurbished Accessories section.
When shopping at this store, keep an eye on the product’s release dates, which are listed in each product description. Apple often sells older models. You can find refurbished models of the current product line, but these items tend to sell quickly, so act fast.
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